Gargoyles
by Hard-boiled Egg Devils
Summary: A retelling of a classic Disney series. What happens when 7 creatures of the night from medieval Scotland awaken from a millenium long sleep, only to find themselves in 20th Century New York? Will feature OCs and a few extra scenes. Edit: Changed rating.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The grey skies clung to the New York City sky line. Thunder rolled harshly, reverberating off of the iron and stone, amplifying its force. However, this wasn't normal thunder, as there was no lightning. Also, unlike normal thunder, it was localized around a tall tower of a building. As the thunder blast around the building, flashes of red could be seen. If one were to stand under this building, one would realize that it wasn't thunder they were hearing: it was gunfire. Automatic gunfire to be exact, as well as a few explosives, by the sound of it. And by the ferocity and frequency of these sounds, it sounded like a war was going on. Of course, when there is a war, there are casualties.

Such was nearly the case, as large boulders of concrete plummeted towards the streets below. Like mighty fist from God himself, each boulder crashed into the ground, shattering not only themselves, but anything they landed on. Streets cracked to rubble, cars flattened, glass and metal flying. Panic and fear ran rabidly among the people on the streets. Everyone tried to avoid the falling debris, for fear that tonight might be their last night. Fortunately, there was not one fatality, but many were injured. The local New York Police Department, better known as the N.Y.P.D., was rushed in to keep not only the peace, but everyone alive. Everywhere one looks, blue police vehicles crowded the streets. Among all these blue cars, however, stood one red convertible.

The doors of the convertible opened, revealing a pair of police officers within. One of the officers was a tall man in his early 20s. He had messy black red hair, red facial stubble, brown eyes worn behind a pair of square framed glasses, and a scar on his left cheek. His physique was that of a track and field star, tall and thin, with some slight muscles on him. He was dressed in old camouflaged pants, a black and white polo shirt, tan hiking shoes, and a World War 2 pilot's jacket. The other passenger, emerging from the driver's side, was a fairly lovely looking woman. She had tan skin, flowing raven black hair, amber eyes, and a very lovely physique. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, black hiking shoes, and a red jacket.

Observing the scene around them, the two officers, clearly partners ran into access the situation. The man ran into the ground zero of the epidemic, while his partner went to the nearest fellow officer. "Maza and Champion, 23rd Precinct" stated the woman, revealing the badge of a high ranking detective to one of the lesser cops. The male, Champion, returned to Detective Maza, carrying an injured woman with him. As he took the woman to a waiting ambulance, he revealed his badge as well, showing that he, like Maza, was a detective. "Mind telling us what's going on up there" asked Champion, as he carried the woman past the two. "I was hoping you'd know detectives" stated the officer, looking up at the sky, "Sounds like somebody's having one hell of a party up there."

The gunfire and explosions grew more intense, more rubble falling into the streets. Before even thinking, Detective Maza ran into the rubble, casting all thoughts of self-preservation aside. Seeing this, Champion followed suit, calling out to his partner. Once inside, Maza instantly set forth, helping anybody that looked like they needed it. One of them, a man trapped underneath his own car, was almost the end of her. As she pulled, she failed to notice a large boulder of concrete falling in her direction. The only time she noticed this was after the man was freed, and when the boulder nearly crushed her. Fortunately, her savior came. Champion reacted quickly, tackling Maza away from the boulder. The next thing she knew, Champion had her pinned down, panting heavily. "Thanks" was all she said. "You owe me one, again" stated Champion as he helped Maza to her feet. "The usual" she quipped. "You know it, and make sure it has extra pepperoni."

The two detectives tried to reach closer to the building, hoping that by reaching the roof of the impressive structure, obviously where the chaos was taking place, they would find the source and stop it before innocent civilians got hurt. However, there advances were cut short by many things, including the large boulders. "Clear out, now" commanded Maza to a few stragglers. Needing no more incentive, the pedestrians ran to the far side of the street, hoping for safety. Champion groaned, "We're in no mood to be mopping up some grease stains." Their train of thought came to a sudden halt, as they felt something out of the ordinary. For one thing, the boulders were not made of modern concrete, but ancient granite. But that was not what grabbed their attention; it was what was shaped on the granite that did it. Looking over at the boulder, the two detectives saw three large gashes on it, and deep ones to. "Are those" asked Champion. "I think so" answered Maza. Both of them were mesmerized by these gashes, these strange markings, these "claw marks?/!" Looking up, their curiosity was taken to a whole new level.

However, their curiosity would have to wait, for as they looked, they noticed another boulder, biggest one thus far, fall straight towards the two. Without haste, they ran back behind the barricade, narrowly missing it. As the boulder crashed into the ground, it shattered into countless pieces, smashing the large amount of the markings with it. One of the pieces flew straight towards the nearest fire hydrant, busting it out of the ground. As the water shot skyward, adding artificial rain to the artificial thunder, the minds of the two detectives raced. "Hey, Elisa." "Yeah Travis" asked Elisa. "I've got a riddle for you." "Shoot." Travis and Elisa gazed at each other, then, to one of the stones, one that had three deep gashes on it. As they looked with a detective's intuition, Travis asked "What on Earth could be strong enough to leave claw marks in solid Granite?"


	2. Awakening Part 1 Act 1

Awakening

Scotland, 994 A.D.

Smoke filled the air around the castle. The sound walls, cared of soundly of granite, were crumbled. The battle for Castle Wyvern has lasted all throughout the day, with dusky was approaching. But, even as the sun was setting, it would not stop the invading Vikings, nor would it stop the guards of the castle from protecting everything and everyone inside. One of these guards, the captain to be exact, stood tall. He watched as the leader of the Vikings, a cruel man named Hakon, known as Hakon the Horrid, ordered the launch of one of his catapults. "Fire" Hakon commanded, signal for the catapult. With a mighty fling, the boulder within was launched, shattering another section of the wall. The captain just stood stock still, his grayed mustache and balding hair blowing in the blast afterwards. Taking his gaze off the battle, he shifted towards the setting sun, then, towards the nearby tower. Atop the spire stood many stone figure, each one unique, but slightly similar. The statues depicted winged human-like creatures, each one with a roaring face on it.

"Hold fast, men" commanded the captain to his soldiers. "We can hold them!" "Aye," shot one of his men, "And maybe catch boulders with are teeth while we're about it." The captain's gaze stiffened, as he marched towards the young rebellious soldier. "It's yer choice, lad" stated the Captain, before holding a wicked looking Mourning Star and stating, "The catapult, or me!" Not waiting for a response, the captain threw the young soldier, barking "Back to your post." As the lad ran back to his post, the captain mused to himself "in a few minutes the sun will be down. And then, we'll see some fun."

Another boulder flew towards the castle wall, breaking it even further. The Captain gazed down upon his foe, and the horde behind him. Hakon stood proud, his dark eyes burning with greed. "Attacking a castle with gargoyles in it at near night fall, Hakon's insane." Hakon's gaze shifted to one of his men, a young soldier, possibly a new recruit. He lowered himself from his perch, meeting the insubordinate soldier. "No" growled Hakon, "I'll tell you what's insane." He then grabbed the poor soldier, and threw him into the ground, pressing his claymore sword into the soldier's throat. "Questioning my sanity while I'm still in ear shot, that's not just crazy, it's also suicidal." Throwing the subordinate soldier to the side, Hakon addressed his men. "I say those gargoyles are nothing but chiseled stone, and even if they weren't, it's still worth it for all the riches within!" Drawing his sword high, reflecting the light of the setting sun, Hakon cried "ATTACK!"

Like a mighty flood sweeping over withered fields, Hakon's gang of Vikings charged forth, into a final confrontation. Swords were raised, axes were brandished, hammers were swung, and all manner of weapon was wielded by the barbaric Vikings, all of them poised to strike. The catapults were rolled forth, towers followed close behind. The final hour was at hand, as the war reached within the castle itself. As each rolling tower met with the wall, a door flung open, exposing its cache of waiting Vikings within. Without mercy did they struck, knocking down any soldier that dare stand in their way. Even the mighty Captain had difficulty, so many advisories attacking at the same time. As one Viking fell, 10 more took his place, some coming from the towers, some more shimmying up the castle wall via grappling hooks. One of those hooks held Hakon, as he ascended the tower where the gargoyles lay. As the Viking's climbed and did battle, not one of them noticed the changing of the light. The night was nearly upon them, and in so, their defeat.

It was Hakon alone whom reached the top of the spire, where one lone gargoyle statue sat. As he did, the sun was barely visible on the horizon. By the time his hands touched the top, the sun has fully set. Night has fallen upon Castle Wyvern, and with it, came the awakening. It started out small enough, a crack here or there on the face. A few pieces of stone flaking off, nothing too noticeable. However, over time, the cracks grew, more and more appearing over the face of the lone gargoyle, as well as all over his body. The cracks weaved together like the webs of a spider, large flakes of stone like skin falling around it. The claws were the first to be revealed, deep and sharp, able to easily render iron as if it were straw. Then, revealed were the wings, wide and strong, able to hold the weight of such a great beast. As more and more stone fell off, more and more of the beast beneath was revealed. The creature had the form of a man well in his 30s, finely muscled and powerful. His mane of black hair fell over his spine, between black and lavender wings. The skin was a deep lavender, matching the outside and ridges of the wings. But what truly captured Hakon in fear, were the beast's eyes. At first, they seemed to glow in a white light, before dimming to reveal nothing but pure blackness. It turned its gaze, catching Hakon in its sights. Taking the Viking by the collar, the creature gazed at him with a low rumbling. "You are trespassing" was all the creature said, in a deep gravelly voice.

Such was the case to all the Vikings, seeing these stone statues come to life before their very eyes. They have heard legends, stories, myths and rumors about these things. Creatures that take the guise of stone during the rising of the sun, but became flesh come dusk. Each one was unique: different skin color, different wing structure, some with horns, some without horns, some having hair, some bald, some male and some female. A few even had what appeared to be a beak. But, no matter what form they took, there was no denying it: these, were the true gargoyles.

Hakon had no fear of these beasts. He would be damned if he let a living decoration end his conquest. Raising his sword, he swung it towards the beast that had him in its clutches. The lavender gargoyle, possibly the leader, caught the blade with no hesitation, and if he felt any pain, it did not show on his face. But Hakon didn't need to see the monster's face; all he needed to see was the hand. In that one moment, he noticed a faint crimson streak appear on the palm where the blade was caught, and slide down the creature's arm. It was just as Hakon hoped. "Fight on men, they are not invincible" he commanded to his men, swiftly pulling his sword out of the hand, a trail of blood following. This was what his men wanted to hear, that it was possible not only to wound a gargoyle, but also to kill it. Wasting no time, they attacked. None of the attacks collided though, as most of the gargoyles took to the air, easily avoiding any ground combat. Hakon attempted to slay the beast holding him by pushing them both off the tower. As they fell, Hakon took hold of his rope, and the gargoyle leader took to the wind.

The battle became very one-sided as soon as the gargoyles came into play. Even with spears thrown into the air and arrows sent flying, not one scratch was made on a single gargoyle. The Vikings, on the other hand, were easily being defeated. With not only the soldiers fighting against but also the gargoyles, it did not bode well. Of course, no Viking was slain, merely defeated and sent into a retreat for their life. From the looks on their faces, the gargoyles actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. To them, fighting back Vikings was nothing more than a game. And on one of the towers, it was made no clearer. Three young gargoyles, all of them male, gazed at the battles below. One of them, a red skinned gargoyle with moonlight colored hair, small horns upon his brow, and a beak, could not even contemplate the excitement before him. Jumping onto the alcove, he called out to his friends and brothers, "Are we to let our brothers and sisters have all the fun!" There was a youthful edge to his voice, one that spoke of a teenager just reaching adulthood. Without a second thought, he dove straight into the fray, adrenaline coursing through his veins. The remaining two, a small olive green gargoyle and a large aqua gargoyle, readied themselves to join the fight as well. "Not afraid, are you" quipped the small green one. "Afraid? Me! Why, all of nature trembles at my passing!" stated the large aqua gargoyle, puffing out his chest, only for his rather round stomach to fall. The small one chuckled, poking at the large one's stomach. "I can see why." After the short jest, the two took off, ready to join their red skinned brother in the battle.

At the steps of one of the walls, another gargoyle has entered the battle. This one was well over an elder's age, a large grey beard grown. His muddish skin was covered in old leather and cloth, with a few pieces of iron armor on his shoulders and knees. He had a kind old face, but was known to be vicious when need be. After so many battles, his left eye has lost its sight, and a large scar was evident over the eye. Unfortunately, it was from the left that an attacking Viking was coming from, ready to cut the gargoyle to piece. Fortunately, the leader noticed the advancing Viking, and stopped him in his tracks. Only after hearing the sound of flesh hitting stone did the elder take notice, seeing the leader throw the attacker into a bale of hay. "Watch your back, old friend" said the leader. The elder only scoffed, "Ye watch yer own, lad."

Quickly, the battle resumed, the elder pulling out a wicked looking curved dagger, glaring at the advancing Vikings. This was very much how the night went on, the Vikings quickly losing their ground and being forced back by the strange and powerful creatures surrounding them. As the battle progressed, the soldiers seemed to capture a second wind, ready to take up their cause once more. Even the Captain seemed to be reinvigorated, easily breaking a sword in two with his Mourning Star. After the first sword was broken, another was swiftly thrust at him. A very fool hearty move, as the sword wielding Viking was kicked off of the wall. More Vikings tried to strike at the leader, only to be beaten away by his wings and tail. And to make his point, the leader released a vicious roar, quickly scarring off the least battle hearty of Vikings. "My thanks, Goliath" said the Captain, having pushed another Viking over the wall. "I could not do otherwise" said the leader, Goliath. "These rouges must have no doubt followed that band of refugees we gave shelter to the other night." Both eyes turned to a small clutch of tents and carts within the walls of the castle. Obviously, the Vikings wanted to desperately reach the refugees, but one question plagued them: why?

While most of the gargoyles battled in the air, one lone gargoyle landed on a tarp canopy. The large blue one descended down to the camp the refugees put up, putting him directly above a small collection of food. Most people failed to notice the gargoyle, save for one small boy. He was no more then 10, with dirty blonde hair, and dressed in rags. "Mother, mother" he called, pulling upon the sleeve of his mother's raggedy dress "look." The lady gazed at what her son wanted her to see, and she gasped. She has seen a large blue gargoyle reach down and steal some of their food. A content smile was on his face as he chewed through a thick cut of beef, not at all concentrated on the war around him. Or so he was, until a Viking dueling a soldier came in his way. The noise the two were making was giving him an upset stomach, so he had to stop it someway. But, without a weapon, he had no true way of stopping the battle. Until he remembered that he still had his cut of beef in his hand. So, he did the first thing that came to him: he used his meal as an impromptu club, striking the Viking on the head. One good swing was all it took, as the Viking slumped to his back, knocked out. With the noise silenced, the large gargoyle resumed eating. Not once did he notice the smile on the lad's face. Or that the lad's smile grew as he gazed at all the gargoyles overhead.

On his last bit of energy, Hakon attempted to make a final strike. He knew that if he were to reach into the royal chambers of the castle and hold the royalty within ransom, the soldiers and the gargoyles would have no choice but to surrender. There was only one problem, where was he supposed to go? By a low growling sound he heard, it was definitely not the way he was going. As he turned, he came face to face, with not one, but two gargoyles. One of them was a young female, much like the green one. These two young gargoyles were different from others, as their wings were actually webbed between their arms and legs, giving them more of a gliding creature appearance then a flying one. Her skin was a pearly white, with bits of pink on her wings. Unlike the green one, who was bald, her head was topped with a thin stream of red that reached all the way to her tail. "What's wrong" asked the female gargoyle, a youthful voice within her, "afraid of my little puppy?" The gargoyle girl referred to the second beast, which was anything but a "little puppy". It was a mighty beast, as large as a calf, grey in color, and with eyes burning of white fire. With a snap of her claws, the young gargoyle commanded "Sic him." The gargoyle/dog creature lunged at Hakon, narrowly missing his head. A small part of the wall has been obliterated by the large gargoyle beast, showing the strength behind its form. In a panic, Hakon ran, ran as fast as he can towards one of the towers, towards safety. Or so he thought.

As he entered, he was halted by two more gargoyles: one a man, and the other a woman. The woman gargoyle had the appearance of a force to be reckoned with. Under the soft moonlight, her azure skin glowed, as did her fiery red mane. Her gaze was cold and hard, add to it her burning red eyes, and she appeared as if a demon. The male, however, could easily be mistaken for the very prince of evil itself. His skin was as red as burning coals, his hair as brimstone, and his eyes glowed with the flames of the Inferno. While the female only had a ridge of small bumps upon her brow, the male had horns that curved, like a ram's horns. One look and it would be easy to mistake these two for demons, and to especially mistake the male easily for the Devil himself. "Face us, if you dare human" warned the woman, her voice as cold as the frozen North. "Or do you prefer a slow and painful torture of fear" warned the man, his voice seeming to echo and sound like the wailings of 1,000 damned souls. Never had Hakon experienced such fear from two forces. As they approached, each let out a venomous hiss, like that of a jungle feline, or in the male gargoyle's case, a serpent. Finally, the fear has gotten to him and off he ran like a bat out of Hell itself, only to be cornered by the beast and young girl, her eyes now glowing a venomous green.

"I see you've met our watch dog" started Goliath, nearly scaring Hakon to death. Hakon never noticed the leader land on the edge near him, the fear dulling his senses. "As well as my second and third in command" he continued, indicating the red haired female gargoyle as well as the Satanic appearing one. "I have long grown tired of this farce" stated Goliath, picking up Hakon by his collar "take what pride you can salvage, and be gone!" With this command, Goliath threw Hakon into a collection of barrels, each one filled with oils. When the landing came, the barrels shattered, spilling their contents not only on the ground around them, but on Hakon as well. Wet and slick, Hakon attempted again and again to straighten his stance, only to fall again and again. Finally, after countless attempts, Hakon finally stands, with but one thing on his mind for these monsters: revenge! "This is not yet over, monsters! I'll be back!" All the three gargoyles did, four counting the little one, was chuckle. Obviously, they have heard this empty threat before.

With a mighty throw, the last of the Vikings was thrown out of Castle Wyvern, running for the hills with great speed. And to ensure no Vikings ever tried to return to the castle, all the archers opened fire, leaving a flurry of arrows in the ground. With the Vikings long out of sight, many cheers erupted amongst the soldiers. The gargoyles shared none of the cheers, instead staying high in one of the towers. The young trio of gargoyles, plus the young lady gargoyle, only gave a skeptical look. The soldiers were celebrating a victory as if they have done all the work. In truth, the gargoyles have done most of the battling that night, and they felt like they were being taken for granted. As with Goliath and the Captain, it was a mutual understanding. "Goliath, once again, we owe you and your clan our lives." The Captain, despite his at times violent tendencies, fully appreciated the gargoyles for all they do during the night. "As we owe you ours, each and every day" said Goliath, referring to the soldiers protecting the clan during the day, when all the gargoyles must turn to stone. Over time, the two heroes, one a human and the other a creature, have established a solid friendship amongst one another.

There was much merriment within the royal banquet halls of Castle Wyvern. With the Viking threat successfully pushed back, and death nearly averted, it was a time to celebrate. And celebrate they did: fresh roasted squab, fresh fruits and vegetables, lamb so succulent, it melts in one's mouth, and other meats so tender they fall off the bone. Add to it the best wines and music, and it was indeed a medieval celebration. One of those attending the celebration was the heir of Castle Wyvern, Princess Katharine. She was a proper lady of medieval standards, and knew her place in the world. Since her uncle, the king, has given her Castle Wyvern, she has set to it to prove that she is as capable a ruler as he is. To her side sat her royal advisor, a thin man with hair of silver and an aura of magic around him. He was the Magus, master sorcerer and alchemist. Princess Katharine often sought the knowledge of the Magus in times of great need, and in turn, he has given the princess not only knowledge, but also companionship.

"I don't mind telling you, I thought we were all under the sword there for a little while." Two soldiers of the battle conversed amongst themselves, the feeling of battle still fresh in the blood. "Aye, a fine soldier is our Robert, captain of the guards." "Captain of the guards" scoffed the first soldier, a little too cheery from too much wine "more like 'Captain of the Gargoyles' ye mean." This little joke got the second soldier laughing. "Ye know, he'd fit right well in the towers with them, that's for sure." Soon both men broke into a hearty laughter, unknowingly insulting their captain, who has heard everything. It was true, Captain Robert seemed to be more in touch with the gargoyles than anybody else, and some even joked that he might actually be part gargoyle. Of course, like all good captains, Robert kept himself in control, having more important matters to attend to. As he approached his seat, near to the princess, he took a deep and courteous bow, showing that he knew his rank amongst the royalties. "Our thanks for a battle well fought, Captain Robert" addressed the princess in a cheery tone. "The credit was not mine to take, yer highness" he said in a bow "for without Goliath and the gargoyles, our defense would have proven useless." The Magus's expression, once a cheerful visage, quickly changed sour, as did the princess's. It was a clear fact that the princess did not much care for the gargoyles, as well as the Magus. "Please Captain," asked Katharine "don't mention that monster's name in my presence."

Suddenly, the banquet hall doors slammed open, followed by sudden gasp of fear and surprise. The Magus dropped his silver goblet, the red wine spilling out. His gaze, with Katharine's, as well as everyone else in the hall, was turned towards the open door, and the three figures that stood in the shadows. One a female's figure, the second a near perfect visage of evil incarnate, and the third, of Goliath. His eyes glowed white in the shadows, and a deep growl resonated, echoing and amplifying.


	3. Awakening Part 1 Act 2

Quiet murmurs and whispers spread throughout the dining hall. Never once has a gargoyle entered the castle, not in anybody's knowledge. But now, three of them were present before the princess. Some kept their opinions of such an act to themselves, while others made no attempt at hiding their distain. "Who let those filthy monsters into the castle" asked one of the serving ladies, loud enough for Goliath and his charges to hear. Robert arose to his feet, bowing. "Begging yer pardon, princess, but I took the liberty of asking Goliath and his comrades to appear and be recognized for their bravery." Katharine was gob smacked. 'Taken the liberty?' The only liberty in Castle Wyvern was that of hers. "Captain, we are very much displeased!" stated the princess, rising from her seat. "To allow beast in my castle, let alone in my dining hall, in MY very presence! It is an outrage!" "You speak most wisely, princess" consoled the Magus, always willing to appease royalty. He too shared no appreciation of gargoyles, but was not as cold around them. "These beasts are unnatural in nature, as well as unholy. No possible good could ever come from associating with their kind."

Slowly, as if treading on weak ground, the three gargoyles approached. Many of the guests sank back into their seats, fear overpowering their thoughts. Only Robert, the Magus, and the Princess stood, watching, waiting. When finally before the princess, Goliath spread is mighty wings wide. In that moment, Katharine feared that the large beast might attack her, maybe even kill her. But instead, Goliath wrapped his wings around his shoulders, and bowed, as a gentleman would before a lady. To say the least, the princess was confused, but appreciative of still being alive. The red haired female and demonic looking male followed suit, their wings wrapping over their shoulders. Robert chuckled lightly, carefully shaking Goliath's bandaged hand. "Ah, Goliath, we've named you well, it seems. Yer as fine a soldier as the Philistine giant who fought David." "You'd do well to remember, captain" retorted the princess "that the biblical giant was as well a bully, savage, and monster." Robert's head bowed in shame, he too knew this. It was a painful blow to him, and his friends. As seen in Goliath's allies, their eyes glowing red, fangs bared, and a hiss escaping their throats. Goliath knew that they might attack at any moment, and had to prevent it. "If you would excuse us, your highness" was all he said, as he lead his charges away. With the three gone, Katharine made her point. "In the future captain, you will make your reports to my advisor, the Magus, not directly to me!" The captain turned his gaze to the Magus, seeing the cocky smile upon his face. Without another word, he left the hall, musing over the transgressions that have happened tonight, and what to do with his future.

It did not take long for Robert to catch up with Goliath and the others. He felt like he had to be with the three, to apologize to them. He knew it wasn't really his fault, but still, he felt almost obligated to do so. "Goliath," he said "I apologize for this." "There is no need for apologies" said Goliath, calm and collected. "We are what we are. Her opinion will not change such a thing." "'Will not change such a thing'?" snide the devil-esque gargoyle, approaching his leader. "My leader, have you no pride? No honor?" "He holds a point, Goliath" stated the red haired one "we have saved their miserable lives time and time again! But all they do is repay us with contempt!" Robert interjected, "They're right Goliath, you lot deserve better than this." "Once, these cliff sides were our rightful home. We have lived her long before the humans built their stone fortress. They should bow to us!" "NO" objected the red one, "they should worship us! We are their only protection, their stone angels! And what do they call us? 'Demons', 'Freaks', 'Abominations'! To these, these, pigs" he spat, picking up a scurrying rat by its tail, "we are nothing. And why? Because you insist on us living, like, rats!" Slowly, Goliath approached the two, placing a gentle hand on both their shoulders. "It is human nature to fear what they do not understand. It may not seem fair, but, it is as it is. Their ways, can never become our ways." With a simple sigh, the two admitted defeat. "Sometimes, my brother" said the red one, "I wonder whether we truly hatched from the same rookery." "As it is amazing how you can remain so patient, my love" stated the red haired one, taking Goliath's hand in both of hers.

The tower of the Magus is a tower of mystery. Curiosities from around the world littered the walls, ingredients were placed on racks and hung on walls to dry and be preserved. Curious fragrances lingered from potions past made. Every once in awhile, if one were to remain quiet, voices could almost be heard coming from some of the many books that littered the desk and floors. At the moment though, the Magus was only interested in one particular book. It was a large book, with a thick leather cover. The pages within appear old, brittle, and some torn. It appeared to be ancient, older than even the rise of Castle Wyvern. Upon its cover, imprinted in what appears to be gold, was the insignia of two swords wound around a sword. Gingerly, the Magus opened this aged tome, skimming through the pages, almost looking for something. When he could not find what he was looking for, he closed the book, and sighed. This sigh seemed full of regret, as if he did not want to do what he was about to do next. But still, he moved the first book, and replaced it with another. The second book had an aura of evil around it. The cover was black leather, with red markings along it. It seemed much older than the first one, as evident by most of, if not all the pages, were torn in places, and then meticulously repaired. The pages themselves were a red color, with pictures of the unholy and damned within. On the cover of it, was a demonic face, caught in a roar. Slowly, with trembling fingers, the Magus opened the book, and hurriedly skimmed through the pages. Fortunately for him, what he was looking for did not appear to be in that book either.

Dawn has come upon Castle Wyvern, and with it, a new day. For the humans at least. As for the gargoyles, what they didn't know was that that night, would be their last. Hurriedly, a lone horse rode out from within the castle, its rider intent. Who the rider was could not be deduced, as his or her face was covered by the shadow of the cloak he or she wore. Around midday, the stranger reached the designated destination: the Vikings' camp. Making way to the center, the stranger approached Hakon. "You seek the fall of Castle Wyvern" asked the stranger in a light voice. "Yeah. So?" "Perhaps, I may be of assistance." This caught Hakon's attention instantly. Dropping his food, a wicked smile appeared upon the barbarian's face. "I'm listening."

Nightfall, well past the awakening of the gargoyles. Goliath unwrapped his left hand, flexing it. His stone sleep has healed him perfectly, not even a scar was left. "Hakon vowed revenge, Goliath, and Hakon is not the type to make idle threats. For all we know, he and his band may return at daybreak. I say ye should take all yer gargoyles and be done with it." "For once, I agree with the human" said the demonic gargoyles, lowering a mug of rum from his lips. "I say we end this, tonight." "I am in agreement," stated the red haired one, "let us go out in force, and hunt these savages like the dogs they are." Goliath shook his head. "It is far too dangerous; I cannot risk leaving the castle unguarded." "But Hakon said he'd return brother" said the red one. "Our only bet is to hurry them away now, and not take such a fool's wager." Goliath thought for a moment, pondering the best choice of action. His brother's words rang a bell of truth; it was a fool's wager. But, even a fool should know the best times to make a wager. With a sigh, Goliath has made his decision. "Very well, but I shall do it. I can scare away those cowards without any help." His brother spit his drink out, surprised by the decision. "Alone? Brother, that is suicide! At least let me accompany you." "No, you are to remain" ordered Goliath. "Then let me come" said his mate, fearful of losing Goliath. "You are to stay with my brother and the rest of the colony at the castle." Slowly, Goliath brought her before him, reassurance in his eyes and voice. "You are the finest warrior amongst them all, and as such, I shall leave you in command." "No! I cannot!" she stated, fear evident in her voice. "Please, my brother, heed your mate's fearful heart. She worries for you, as I do. You must not leave us. At least promise us you will not do this alone." Smiling, Goliath reassured them. "Fine, I shall not go alone. But remember this, both of you, we are brethren in arms, nothing will ever change that. And you remember, my love" he said calmly to his mate, hoping to ease her worries "you and I are one, now, and forever." With that, Goliath departed, readying himself to go. For a moment, all the three did was stand still, watching a brave and noble warrior. What they didn't know that night, was that soon, their worlds, and their words, would be all for naught.

The fire crackled, illuminating the surrounding encampments within the castle walls. Everywhere one trotted, the smell of cooked meats was evident. It was this smell that brought the blue one to the camps, noisily eating all the food within his reach. Each bite he took was a mouthful, and every flavor seemed like a new experience to him. After finishing off the leg of another pheasant, he reached for some nearby apples, there sweet and crisp juices trickling down his chin. Not too far away, the small green gargoyle and red beaked gargoyle were entertaining themselves, throwing a whole ham over the head of the gargoyle beast. At every pass, the beast leapt, hoping to snatch the tasty looking ham in his jaws. But, all the tosses were too high, and showed no sign of lowering. The two laughed at the act, treating their actions like another game. After two or three throws, the green one grabbed the ham, and began to run away from the beast. Not watching where he was going, he ran nearby the ivory skinned female, nearly knocking away all the beads lay before her. The beast followed, shooting dirt into the pile of beads. "Hey, watch it" shouted the girl, her cry falling on deaf ears. Soon after, the red one followed, fully knocking away all the stray beads before her. With a huff, she kicked at the spot she was working in, spreading her beads even further. The unfinished bracelet that she has been working on for hours fell to her feet, before being stomped on by the two gargoyles and gargoyle beast. That was the final straw. "If there is one thing that I can stand less than an immature hatching, interrupting my craft" she hissed, snatching the ham out of the green one's hands and throwing it far, "it's two of them!" All the while, none of them noticed the young lad from last night approach. "Hello" was all he said, catching the three's attention. "My names Tom" he said, pointing his thumb at himself. Cheerily, Tom asked "what's yours?" The three looked at each other, then back at the boy. "Apart from Goliath, we don't have names" said the green one. "Then how do you tell each other apart" Tom asked. "Simple, we look different" replied the white female. "But, what do you call each other?" The red one replied "Brother, sister, friend." Tom smiled, extending his hand towards the three. "Tomas" shrilled a lady, running over to turn her son away from the three. "You should know better then be near those, those, things!" she spat out, venom deep in her voice. Tom groaned, "But, mother…" Before he could continue, he was pushed behind the woman. Slowly, and calmly, the red beaked one approached. "Madam, we would never hurt…" He never had a chance to finish, as the lady tossed a still burning stick from the fires at his face, shouting "Keep away from my son, you filthy beast!" Suddenly, Goliath's second and third in command swooped down, growling. Apparently, they saw everything that has happened, and were not pleased. "You are the beast here, you miserable…" started the second in command, only to be interrupted by the young female. "No no, it's alright. In fact, this could be fun." "Yeah" agreed the young red one. "If these people consider us beast and monsters…" he started. "Perhaps we should live up to the name" finished the green one. And with that, the three young ones began to growl, their eyes glowing, and claws extended.


	4. Awakening Part 1 Act 3

Claws extended, eyes aglow, and growls echoing, the three gargoyle hatchlings approached. At times, if a human was near, they would snap a jaw or swipe a talon in their direction, never truly hitting them. All they did at the moment was intimidate, and scare the humans. And so they did, sending humans running and cowering. Hearing a great commotion, the large blue one finally snapped out of his feast induced trance. Hectically, he looked around, trying to find the source of the human's panic. "What? What? What is it? Are we being attacked again!" he asked, grabbing all the food he can reach, apparently trying to save it. Fortunately, it was no attack; unfortunately, it still captured the attention of Goliath. Swooping down from atop one of the towers, Goliath landed with a loud crash before the three, stopping them in their tracks. The fourth one joined soon after, instantly dropping his collected food upon seeing Goliath's fuming face. "You" growled Goliath, "the four of you. Down into the rookeries until I return, I'll deal with you then!" They all gasped, having to have received such a demeaning punishment. "And take him with you" ordered their leader, pointing towards the gargoyle beast. The beast let out a upset moan, sounding more like a dog's whimper.

Wrought iron and cedar wood doors. Solid stone walls and arches. A cool dampness that seemed to seep between all the crevices. This was the entryway to the gargoyle rookery, where all gargoyles of the clan hatch. As it was, that would be the punishment for the four young one's actions. It was a common threat older gargoyles give to young ones: 'don't make me put you in the rookery.' To be sent into the rookery was to be labeled a child, and to a gargoyle, it was the ultimate in embarrassment. Such was their case, as they pushed open the heavy cedar doors to where they were hatched. "We meant no harm" protested the red beaked one, hoping Goliath to see their folly. "We weren't going to hurt them; we just wanted to scare them." Apparently, neither the red one's nor the ivory one's claims would change the stoic opinion of their leader. So, with heads hung low, the four gargoyles and one gargoyle beast entered the depths, awaiting their punishment for later. After they were all inside, Goliath's second and third spoke. "My brother, are you truly that blind?" "It was the humans at fault, not these young ones" retorted Goliath's mate. Goliath was unchanged in his opinion. "No matter whose fault it is, I will now allow fighting between their people and ours. I shall make it up to them upon my return, but right now, I have more pressing matters to attend to." And with that, Goliath departed, leaving an upset mate, a angered brother, and four saddened young behind him.

High above the empty fields of Scotland, nearly invisible to the eyes of man, and as silent as the wind they flew with, Goliath and the elder gargoyle approached. Remaining quiet, as to not give away their positions to any hiding Vikings, the two followed a faint trail of horse tracks to a nearby forest. Touching down at the very edge of the forest, the eldest one examined the tracks. "It's them, right enough" he said, carefully observing each and every track, "but the tracks are light for horses carrying armored men." Goliath took no heed of the last almost warning, much too occupied by what he saw. "They're not very far ahead, come" he commanded, dashing on all fours into the forest. The elder, only sighed, following close behind the young, impatient leader.

Down below the castle of Wyvern, where caverns from thousands of millennia of nature formed into large and winding tunnels, sat the most important place for all gargoyles throughout time: the damp and dark gargoyle egg rookery. It was here, that all new gargoyle life began. Its damp caverns keep the eggs cool; to prevent them from dying during blistering summers, and the darkness kept them safe from any creature wanting to destroy, or worse, eat them. It was also in here that four young gargoyles, one red with a beak, one large blue, one small green, and one ivory female, sat awaiting any further punishment from their leader. "Sent to the rookeries, this is so embarrassing" complained the beaked one. "I haven't been down here since I hatched" said the blue one, taking in the alien yet familiar surroundings. The green one was observing the eggs nearby, with almost a child like wonder. As for the ivory female, she sat with her back against the three males, staying close to the large gargoyle beast also with them. All the while, the large blue one approached one of the pillars holding the roof over their head. On it was a glowing algae of sorts, blue in color and glowing green. The large one took one of the clumps of algae, curious about something of it. Taking a few smells of it, figuring it safe, he dropped the large clump in his mouth, chewing it vigorously. The green one saw this, a look of both amazement and horror on his face. "I hope we're not down here long" he said to himself "he might eat us." The female, overhearing the green one's worried words, mumbled to herself "if that does happen, I hope he eats you first."

In one of the castle armories, a single light shone. A torch was lit not too long ago, giving a mysterious glow to everything. Someone was in their right now, looking over all the bows the soldiers use. Whoever this person was could not be told, as shadows obscured any noticeable features. The only identifiable item this person had was a silver arm brace with an eagle imprinted upon it. The eagle has always been a symbol of Hakon, so whoever was in the armory now, could only be nothing good.

Once more in the skies, Goliath and the elder kept vigilant eyes for the Vikings. However, they knew they should not be out much longer. Both of them could feel dawn coming, and the time for them to sleep was soon. "It's not long before sunrise" said the elder, turning to Goliath "perhaps we should return and pick up tomorrow." It sounded to be a wise idea, but he would not change his mind. And so, they continued, until Goliath noticed something below them. "There they are" he said, pointing to a large caravan of horses and a few Vikings. Without another thought, the two swooped in to strike, roaring all the while. After only one sweep, all the Vikings there scattered, sending the whole herd of horses running in every direction. As they ran, it suddenly dawned upon the two: it was all a decoy. Not one of the Vikings was properly armored for battle, there were no weapons visible on any of them, and no Vikings were on the horses. "They were using the horses to decoy us from the castle! Hurry!" Wasting no more words, the two sprint as fast as they can back towards the castle, their clan, and all they had to defend. Unfortunately, it was not enough. Just as they cleared the tree line of the forest, the sun came up. "We're too late" cried the elder, caught in the first rays of the sun. As soon as the sun came, so did their sleep. Stone began to form around their feet, creeping like a vine all over their body. Soon, their wings were frozen in place, their claws were trapped in a single position, and the two gargoyles, the current and previous leaders, were frozen in a stone sleep.

It was dawn on Castle Wyvern that Hakon waited for, to get his second chance to strike, and not be interrupted by the gargoyles. Now, with the sun just rising over the cliffs, Hakon had his chance. Raising his sword over head, he signaled the second strike. "Attack!" Once more, the Vikings swept across the grounds, weapons raised high and more than willing to finish what has been started. The castle guards stood at the ready, bows drawn back to fire. Suddenly, with loud snaps, each and every bow string broke. Some of the strings back-lashed their archer, some sent arrows tumbling. All the archers gasped, they were useless, and the Vikings approached still. As if things were not bad enough for all of them, the gates to the castle began to open. Somebody was letting them in. In no time at all, the Vikings were inside the castle walls, battling the guards and winning. Katharine ran down from her chambers, hoping to reach the captain and tell him of this most troubling news. "Captain" she called out "captain!" Finally, she caught sight of him, approaching her. "The Vikings, captain! We're being ambushed!" For some reason, the captain remained quiet, calmly approaching her. This only gave rise to more fear from the princess. "Captain Robert?" He took hold of the princess, revealing a pair of silver arm braces. Arm braces, which had the eagle engraved upon them. "It's far, far worse than that, yer highness" snide Robert with a sneer. Suddenly, it all became so clear: it was not just an attack happening within the Castle Wyvern, but also a mutiny.

Half the day has gone by, and Castle Wyvern was in ruins. Smoke rose from within the decimated halls and courts, choking out any sunlight, once mighty stone walls were reduced to nothing but piles of broken bits, and all the residents within were chained, like slaves. Among the chained captives, were the princess and the Magus, being pushed and shoved to move ahead. High atop one of the still intact towers, Hakon and Robert watched the fruits of their labor. "Not that I'm ungrateful for your help" said Hakon, turning his gaze to the traitorous captain, "but I need to know: why? Why betray your own kind?" Robert only replied "they're not my kind." This answer seemed to be enough for Hakon, as he turned his gaze to one of the many gargoyle statues that lined the towers and walls. "Well" he said casually, picking up a dropped mace, "time to tie up loose ends." Raising the mace high, he swung hard, ready to obliterate the statue. In mid swing, something caught the mace, keeping Hakon from his mission. Turning his gaze, he caught sight of Robert holding the mace, keeping him from continuing what has been started. "This is not necessary" said Robert, almost fearful and remorseful. "Are you mad" barked Hakon "in a moment these things will be flesh again and my men will be their prey!" "Once you and your men are out of sight, they'll not follow. It's not their way." Hakon seemed to calm down, lowering the mace. "Oh," was all he said, looking at the statue. Of course, Hakon had more to say, such as "if that's the case…" No more words were wasted, as he swung the mace hard, right into Robert's jaw. A sickening crack was heard, as Robert was flung against the wall by the strike. Blood flowing down the corner of his mouth, his jaw broken, he looked up, seeing the point of Hakon's sword pointing directly into his face. "Care to discuss the matter further" asked the Viking brute, knowing too well what the answer will be. "No" Robert groaned, spitting out some of his own blood. Satisfied, Hakon moved towards the statue, mace once more raised high. His final words, words he spoke before performing an unspeakable deed, were "I haven't live this long by taking fool's wagers." With all said and done, Hakon swung, crushing the gargoyle statue before him, killing a gargoyle. All Robert could do was stand and watch, to terrified and ashamed to do anything to try and stop him. He would be left with the guilt for the rest of his life.

Goliath and the elder flew as fast as the winds could carry them. After awakening near the edge of the woods, they knew that trouble came over the castle. No time was to be wasted, no words were said, and no amount of hope could ready either of them for what they saw. Most of Castle Wyvern was in flames, walls once strong and unbreakable were nothing more but piles of rubble, and bodies of soldiers were spread around, their blood and flesh everywhere. But that, was not the worst of it. "No" growled Goliath, flying to a nearby tower. As he landed, his fears were confirmed: before his feet, was a pile of statue bits, pieces of a once mighty gargoyle. Everywhere he looked, it was all the same: statues were shattered and skew all over, no pieces recognizable of the once mighty warriors they may have been. To his absolute horror, he recognized one piece, a horn, shaped like a rams. "My brother" he whispered, picking up the piece before it broke in two within his hands. As well, to make matters all the worse for him, Goliath ran to the sleeping spot of his second, and only saw another pile. Gingerly, he picked up the pieces of stone, tears falling down his face. "My, angel of the night" he said in a quivering voice, knowing that all he knew, all he had, was gone forever. Furious and saddened, Goliath released a great roar into the skies, fearing and confirming that the world Goliath lives in was about to change, forever.

**_To Be Continued…_**

**On the Next "Gargoyles":**

"You? You are the betrayer!"

"You turned 'em to stone, forever?"

"They're attacking the castle!"

"Let's go, we got what we came for!"

"What do you make of it detectives?

"Don't look at me, I got no idea."

"But we're gonna find out."


	5. Awakening Part 2 Act 1

"My, angel of the night" he said shakily, holding the ruins of the statue in his claws. All he has known, all he has protected, all he has loved was gone, and nothing could bring it back. With a roar that shook the heavens, Goliath released his rage and anger, and fear. Below him, in the courtyards of the burning Castle Wyvern, an elder gargoyle, Earthy brown in color with a great silver beard, gazed over the carnage of the Viking attack. As he looked, he noticed something, peculiar about the weapons. Most of them seemed to have been altered in some way to make them less effective. Many swords were broken, but the breaks were too clean to be battle fatigue. The shields had gashes in them, too large to be marks of battle. Axes had their heads loosened; pikes were shorter than they should be; everywhere he looked, he saw sabotage. This theory was confirmed as he looked over one of the bows of a fallen soldier. "These bow strings have been cut" he mused to himself, observing the normally strong strings. It all fell into place then; "there was betrayal here."

The loud creaking of a door caught the two gargoyle's attention. Turning, they saw the door to the rookery open, revealing four young gargoyles and a gargoyle beast. After they have awoken, they have heard a roar coming from above, and came to investigate. What they saw, was too much for them. The castle was in ruins, fires burned all that was not made of stone, and bodies of slaughtered soldiers littered the grounds. An ivory colored female, with hair that matched the fires burning around her, fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. The three males that were with her only gasped, unsure of what to make of this, murder would be the best word for it. Goliath landed before the young, hopeful and worried. "Were any others down below with you" he asked, with a ring of hope in his voice. Sadly, a large blue male replied "none, only us." "The humans are gone as well" added the elder, "taken captive no doubt." At that moment in time, Goliath only saw red. Rage coursed through his body, fueling a deep, primal desire. He knew that Hakon was not skilled enough to kill and take captive alone, and his Viking horde could not have either. This only meant one thing: somebody within the castle ranks helped him. And whoever did, will pay dearly. But first and foremost, the humans taken captive must be rescued, and protected. "Then we will find them" stated Goliath, his eyes aglow in white flame. "We will save the humans, and we shall have our revenge!" And so, taking to the wind, the six last gargoyles flew out into the night, followed on foot by the great gargoyle beast, intent to save what was left. But for Goliath, he swore to himself a primal vow: to have blood for blood, and kill the traitor who helped destroy all the gargoyles. He knew they might not make it back alive, but did not care. All that he cared about was the future of his kind, and the future of the traitor. However, what he didn't know was that his future, as well as the future of the remaining six gargoyles with him, would change drastically.

Cheers and cries rang throughout the mountain side camp. The cheers came from the Vikings, having successfully taken control of the remains of Castle Wyvern. They cheered for the many refugees and castle staff they have captured, planning on making them their slaves. And they mostly cheered for having the princess of the castle in their grasp, and the countless amounts of gold and precious jewels the king will surely pay for her safe return. The cries came from the hostages, fear and sorrow taking over. They cried for all those who died in the castle. They cried for the loss of their salvation. And they mostly cried, fearing what will happen to them. Only a few did not cry that night, and one of them, was a ten year old boy with a mop of blonde hair. He stood by his mother, looking down at the crying woman before him. He couldn't stand seeing his own mother so sad, and tried to cheer her. "Don't worry, mother" said the boy, Tom his name. "My friends the gargoyles will come and rescue us." "Nay" said Tom's mother, looking up at her brave son. "The gargoyles have all been destroyed, Tom." She fell back into her crying, mixing in a small prayer to God that salvation will come soon for her son. "Please, Lord" she cried in her hands, "please. Send an angel to protect my Tomas."

In a nearby cave, another praying was being done: a prayer of forgiveness. Robert, once the mighty and respected Captain of the Guard of Castle Wyvern now turned traitor to his own code, prayed hard for forgiveness. He knew his prayer may not have been heard, or ignored for his actions, but still he prayed to himself. Occasionally, his eyes would shift to the other occupants of the cave he was camped in: Hakon, the victorious Viking leader who destroyed the castle, The Magus, the once arch mage and advisor to the royal family, and lastly, Princess Katharine. He dared not look directly at the princess; his guilt was unbearable as it was. "Hmm" mused Hakon, looking over the two hostages with him. "The Magus is worth more to us alive, barely." "True," said Robert, acting still as a proud traitor then a regretful villain, "but I bet her uncle, the King, will pay handsomely for her highness's safe return." "You bastards" spat the Magus, "The both of you. If I still had either of my books of spells, I'd…" A cold laughter interrupted him, as Hakon pulled out two leather bound books. One was brown leather, with a gold insignia of two snakes wrapped around a sword, and the other was a black leather book with a red demon's face printed on the front. "Might you be referring to **these** books, Magus" asked Hakon, sarcastically. Opening the first book, he clumsily and crudely thumbed through the pages. "Magic spells" he scoffed, tearing out one of the pages, "makes me glad I don't know how to read." And with that, he hung the page over the nearby open fire, and burnt it to ashes, laughing all the while. "No, my spells" cried the Magus, unable to act in any way. The Magus hung his head, unable to watch as Hakon burnt more pages from his books. "Traitor" growled the princess to the once captain, then stated "I'll see you both hang for this!" With a snarl and sneer upon his face, and cold eyes upon the princess, Hakon slammed closed the black book before burning its pages, and proceeded to his most rebellious captive. "Be well not to vex me, princess" warned the cruel Viking leader, "or it's your neck."

Suddenly, a blood curdling roar pierced the night, stopping any merriment or more threats. "They're coming" cried a Viking, "run for your lives" cried another, their eyes raised to the stars. Soon, all the Vikings ran likes spooked sheep, trying to hurriedly ready themselves for battle, or just to run and protect themselves. Hakon and Robert looked to the skies as well, and saw, to Robert's joy and Hakon's fear: six figures of winged humanoid creatures descend their way. "You said they wouldn't follow us" shouted Hakon, his attention turned to his accomplice. "They wouldn't have, if you hadn't destroyed the others" shot back Robert, knowing that the fury of an angered gargoyle would be far worse than the flames of Hell. Shoving Robert aside, Hakon made his way to his captives, untying the restrains around the princess's feet. "You're lucky this night, princess" growled an irate Hakon, picking up Katharine, "your precious gargoyles have come." "The gargoyles" whispered Katharine, looking out the entrance of the cave, before snidely warning "yer a dead man, Hakon." "Maybe so" said Hakon, pulling out a silver dagger, "but not before you." Before he could strike, the princess tackled into the gut of her captor. With the wind out of him, she ran to the other end of the cave, praying her distraction would buy the gargoyles enough time to find her. "Help! Somebody help!" cried the Magus, hoping that somebody would hear his pleas. "They're going to slay her!" he shouted, as Hakon and Robert gave chase to the fleeing captive. He hoped his cries have been heard, but still, if not, he had to act. Scurrying to a nearby leaning stone, he ground the rope bindings around his wrist on it, his ropes being cut little by little.

Meanwhile, outside the cave, Goliath and the remaining gargoyles dove into action. In a single swoop, Goliath picked up two cowering Vikings, launched them into the air, and dropped them into a nearby tent. Returning to the skies, Goliath's keen eyes spotted Hakon and another figure, both of them giving chase after the princess. Wasting no time, he flew in to try and save all that was left.

Back in the camp, the elder landed, his eyes glowing with fury. A brave, or fool hardy Viking, no more than a new recruit, charged at the gargoyle, his sword raised. The elder caught him quite easily, and flung him over his shoulder, right into a nearby pig sty. Another Viking tried to rush the elder, only to be caught as well and kicked into a nearby barrel of wine. All the captives watched in amazement and wonder. Never have they seen such a display of primal power and skilled combat combined at once. Tom smiled, tugging at the gown his mother wore. "I told you they'd come" he said, his eyes still on the battle. His mother did not even notice his words, or the battle before her. Her eyes were raised to the heavens, her prayer answered. "Thank you, Lord" she whispered to the skies.

At one of the fire pits, a whole suckling pig was picked up by a large blue clawed hand. The large one's mind still seemed to be stuck on food, and the roast pig smelled absolutely delicious. But, he had his priorities in order, using the pig, and the skewer it was stuck upon, as a makeshift weapon, striking a charging Viking with it like a baseball bat. After the Viking was knocked unconscious, he took a bite, and instantly spit it out. "Too salty" he said, throwing it over his shoulder, unknowing knocking out another Viking.

At a nearby cliff side, a trio of Vikings, weapons at the ready, looked around for any nearby gargoyles. They looked to all sides, but not up. With a cry like a banshee, the ivory colored female jumped atop one of the Vikings. "Guess who" she said, wrapping her arms around his throat. The other two Vikings, suddenly spooked by the cry, ran as fast as they can, dropping their weapons. After a few minutes of strangulation, the female let go, giving the Viking back his breathing. As he recovered, he tried to find her, only to come up empty. "Where are you, you rat with wings" coughed the Viking. "I'm not a rat" shouted the girl, giving away her hiding spot. Once spotted, the Viking charged at her. "Oops" was all she said, jumping to the side, as the Viking fell into a deep pit. "See you next fall" she shouted, waving to her descending assailant. All she heard was a loud thud, followed by a hollow "ow."

The two Vikings, the ones scared away by the gargoyle girl's roar, ran quickly into a nearby cave. Unfortunately for them, the cave was already occupied. Deep in the shadows, a pair of bright white lights glowed, slowly revealing the shape of a large and savage gargoyle beast. With a roar, the Vikings were sent away scurrying, the beast right on their tails, barking.

The small green one and red one with a beak picked up the last two foolish Vikings, tossing them with their fellow men. Not wanting to face any more defeat, or in some of their cases, humiliation, the Vikings ran, never to return to Castle Wyvern or to Scotland ever again. All of the hostages cheered and praised their stone saviors, all but one. "You!" shouted the Magus, his books tucked under his arm. "You fool! The lot of you" he shouted, appearing to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown. "You shouldn't have come! They would have ransomed us both and be done with it! She would have still been alive! But now…" He kept his teeth clenched; keeping his cries and shouts to himself. "What's all this" asked the elder, gazing skeptically at the trembling magic caster. "What's he talking about" asked the green one to his comrades, as the female asked "where's the princess?" "She's dead now" stated the Magus, tears escaping through clenched eyelids. "And if I could but wield a sword, I would send you to join her!" Opening the brown leather book, he thumbed through the pages, stopping on the one he saw fit as punishment. "But this will have to do instead!" Raising his hand over his head, he calmly recited an ancient curse, intent on punishing these six creatures for the murder of the one woman he cared for. "_**Dormiatis, dum castellum super nubes, ascendat!**_" As soon as the final word escaped his lips, a violet mist began to circle the six gargoyles. A feeling of confusion filled the creatures, as well as a feeling of sudden fatigue. And the last thing these five gargoyles and one beast remember was the face of Tom, holding close to his mother, not wanting to look at what was happening to them, and a brilliant flash of white light.

Katharine stood upon a narrow cliff, gazing back at her chasers, and the dark abyss below. She could not recall how long she ran, or how far and only hoped that it was enough. But apparently, it wasn't, as she now stood between two ways to die: jump into the ocean over the side, or face a blood thirsty Hakon and traitorous Robert. As she mused over her choices, a shadow shot overhead, catching all three's attention. The shadow, revealed to be in fact to be Goliath's, faded as the leader landed. Surveying his foes and the hostage, his eyes fell upon Robert, and it all became clear. "You? You are the betrayer!" shouted Goliath, his eyes glowing with white hot fury. "It was not meant to be this way, Goliath" pleaded the captain. Goliath took no heed, anger deafening him to his once friend's pleas. "All of my kind are dead," he growled, before roaring "and now you will join them! The both of you will burn for this!" "This was not my fault, Goliath" Robert pleaded again. "If only you had listened to your brother, and took the clan with you. Then once the Vikings came and left, the castle would have been yours!" "Traitor" growled Goliath, already planning on how to act out his vengeance. "He's the one! It's him you want!" Robert turned his gaze to Hakon, seeing the true coward within him. Hakon would do anything to save his own skin, even betray his own allies. "He's the one who smashed those gargoyles! I actually tried to stop him!" "You lying fiend!" shouted Robert, as one betrayer tackled another. As he lunged forward, he shoved the both of them over the cliff, and pushed the princess off as well. Without another thought, Goliath acted, catching the princess and saving her life. As for the lives of Hakon and Robert, he was not sure, as the last thing he saw was the two falling into the darkness below, and the crashing of waves. First, Goliath lost his home, warriors, family, and love, and now, his revenge was gone as well. Rising to his feet, the leader roared. "Am I to be denied everything, EVEN MY REVENGE!"

Slowly, with great caution, the princess approached the mighty beast. After so many years of fear and resent towards their kind, Katharine has never truly known a gargoyle. Now, seeing the anger, and sorrow written all over Goliath's face, she felt as if she has seen one for the first time. Gingerly, she extended her hand towards his face. "Goliath" she started, quietly, as too not startle him. "I…" "Goliath! Goliath, come quick!" Tom ran towards the leader, panting and gasping for breath. "Your friends, Goliath! The Magus did something to them!"

He has never seen such a thing before. Six statues stood still, each one in either a look of fear, or a roar. They appeared to be in the poses they hold as they sleep, but, it was the middle of night. "Stone" whispered Goliath, looking over the six frozen gargoyles before him. "At night?" He turned his gaze to the Magus, once more angered. "What sort of sorcery is this?" he demanded, needing to know. "Sorcery indeed" stated the Magus, approaching him with fury. "And now, Goliath, you shall join them forever!" Once more he opened his book, the spell he used marked for such an occasion. He readied himself to cast the spell once again, but stopped as something caught his eye. Not what to be exact, but who. Princess Katharine looked over the statues, remorseful for her past. "Oh Magus," she asked, "What have you done?" Dropping the book, the Magus fell to his knees, regretting his irrational action. "I," he started, trying to find the right words. "I thought that you were dead. I was so racked with grief that I…" He could not bring himself to finish his apology, and even if he could, Goliath interrupted. "Remove this curse" he commanded, holding him by the collar of his robes. "Bring them back!" "I, I cannot" pleaded the Magus, "the page with the counter spell was burnt to ashes." Goliath looked to the book, and saw that the magician's words were true. A few of the pages were torn out of the book, and one of them, most likely had the spell that would release the others. Then, his gaze fell upon the black book. "Then use that book" commanded Goliath. "No!" cried the Magus, "it is impossible! Mixing the magi's of the Grimorum Arcanorum and the Demonica Tome is far too dangerous! Even if the spell succeeded, it will be at a horrible price!" The gargoyle dropped the Magus, gazing at the frozen forms of his only comrades. It dawned upon him, "now I truly am alone." Katharine's gaze turned to her once good and only friend. "You turned 'em to stone, forever?" she asked, already certain what the answer was. The Magus sighed, "The terms of the spell were that they would sleep, until the castle rose above the clouds." The princess turned her gaze to the now lone gargoyle, regretting all the actions of hate and spite she acted upon him and his kind for so long.

With the fires out, and some of the castle being rebuilt, Goliath and the people of Wyvern gingerly placed each of the sleeping gargoyles upon their own spot atop the highest tower. "We've done you a great wrong, Goliath" said the princess, and added "I have done you a great wrong. There are no words that can tell you how sorry I am for the actions of my past." "I know that no apology either of us could be enough, Goliath" said the Magus, "I only wish there was something I could do." "What will you do now, princess" asked Goliath. "I shall take my people with me to my uncle's castle" she said, "It is no longer safe here." "There is, one thing I ask of you" said Goliath. "You have but to name it." "The eggs in the rookery will hatch soon" he said, "They will need guidance." "Never fear, Goliath, we will care for them as if they were our own" reassured the now humbled princess. "As for you, Magus" said Goliath, "I have but one request." The Magus bowed, "ask." "Cast your spell, one last time."

As the new day dawned, a creeping shadow stretched over the now abandoned walls of Castle Wyvern. Gone were the tents and carts with of supplies for the inhabitants. Gone were the weapons, no longer in need, as they bring back terrible memories of past hates and alienations. And gone, were all the people, having left not long before sunrise. The only thing that remained of the castles once mighty past, were seven stone gargoyles. In ancient times, these seven, along with hundreds more, were once mighty and noble guardians, sworn to protect. Now, only these seven remain, frozen in time, possibly forever. And high above most of the remaining gargoyles, sat one lone gargoyle, his chin resting atop a closed fist, his face forever etched in agony, and seeming to be trapped in thought. What he was thinking, nobody knows, and nobody would ever know, until at last his form and his clan, or what's left of it, awoke, sometime, in the future.


	6. Awakening Part 2 Act 2

Scotland, October 26th, 1994

Far off in the back countries of Scotland, near the cliffs of what is currently Dublin, a lone castle stood. In days past, this castle could have been the home of a great and powerful royalty. Its stone walls, once considered the strongest of its times, now flake and chip away with the slow passage of time. Once gentle grass grew in the central court, but now, weeds and vine strangle and snare everything in their path. Mosses cling to crevices, pieces of wood support lie on the ground, having splintered and broken over time, and many more signs of aging appear about. Not many approach these now ruins of a mighty castle, as a great feeling of sorrow and anger choke the air around it. Many folk who enter these halls never return to them, as they feel a sensation that they are not alone. Of course, such a thing is impossible, for the only things that take residence in these ruins are sparrows, rodents, the occasional fox, and seven stone gargoyles.

It was perfect for him. As he gazed upon the ruins, a sense of euphoria and excitement seemed to flood his being. Though the air seemed cold to foreigners, he kept his black trench coat open, sort of feeling the history of the castle. Occasionally, there were spots of dirt clumped up upon his dark Giorgio Armani silk suit, but he didn't mind; he could always buy a new one. Such was the life of David Romanize Xanatos, one of if not the wealthiest man in the world. "At last" he sighed, his voice as smooth as his perfectly groomed appearance, "Castle Wyvern." He scanned over the ruins, pleased with his choice of locals. As his gaze fell upon the topmost tower of the castle, he broke into a sprint. Leaping over fallen supports and running up the stone stairs, he reached the top, and came close to one lone gargoyle. Its pose reminded Xanatos of Rodin's 'The Thinker', maybe even being his inspiration for the famous statue. David chuckled at such an absurd thought, as Rodin lived in Paris, not Scotland. Still, comparing the two, they seemed uncannily similar.

Pulling the vines of ivy from the face, David whispered to himself "magnificent." Not far behind him, footsteps were heard, but David recognized them all too well. "Make the offer now Owen," said David over his shoulder, "this instant." "May I remind you one last time, Mr. Xanatos, that the cost of such an endeavor would be astronomical" informed David Xanatos' head secretary and personal butler Owen Burnett. Clean shaven, pale skin, cold grey eyes, perfectly shaped blonde hair, he was the picture of what a gentlemen's gentlemen, or in more common terms, a butler, should look like. Mind always on his job, Owen has been with Xanatos for nearly ten years, right around when Xana-corp, David Xanatos' business, seemed to magically lift off the ground.

"Start hiring crew," said David, not at all worried about price, "I want to begin as soon as possible." Without so much as a mutter of protest, Owen opened his compact cellular phone, and began dialing the number for a nearby construction and demolition team. "It may prove difficult to find the proper man power" said Owen, "as this castle has a bad reputation. The locals consider it haunted." Xanatos only smirked, gazing back at the thinking gargoyle statue. "You know the answer to that, Owen" replied David, unfazed by Owen's normally less than enthusiastic words. "'Pay a man enough, and he'll walk barefoot into Hell'."

The deconstruction was well underway. Men in mechanized suits moved the heavy blocks that made the walls. More men blew away the millennium's worth of dust and dirt away, trying to keep the palace pristine for their employer as they moved piece by piece. As crews used sophisticated cutting tools, lasers specially designed to cut through materials stronger then Granite, each piece was carefully and meticulously placed in a protected container. The gargoyle statues especially, each one padded and stuffed to prevent the valuable stone creatures from being tossed around and broken. The crews worked long hours into the day and night, as more and more of the ancient castle was moved to its new home. After complete dissection and dismantling, the castle was transported by land, air and sea to their final resting place: New York City, the most popular city in the America, and home base to Xana-corp.

Months after the dismantling of the castle, it was finally reassembled atop David's pride and joy: the Eyrie building, the world's tallest skyscraper. The tower was vast in its properties, especially height. If one were able to reach the very top, they would stand over the clouds themselves, able to gaze down upon the citizens below. They say 'a man's home is his castle', and in David Xanatos' case, he took it very literally. Castle Wyvern, rebuilt from the ground up with the best conveniences of the 20th century, stood high above the clouds. This was where one of David's personal helicopters, with David as its passenger, was heading. After all, tonight would be the night seven special guest have been waiting for in the past 1000 years, and it's considered rude for the host to be absent to the party he planned himself.

With the last rays of the sun setting over the New York skyline, David stood at the ready. Occasionally shifting his gaze between the six gargoyles below him, the setting sun, and the lone gargoyle at the very top, his patience seemed to thin. "Don't disappoint me" he said to statue as the final ray faded, signaling the night. With the sun gone, the clouds began to swirl and twist. A mysterious wind began to blow, and thunder rolled over the city. The occasional crash of lightning lit up the sky, as a sudden storm began to brew, seeming to come from literally nowhere. As the rains poured over the city, or more specifically, the Eyrie building, more lightning and thunder crashed, the storm growing more savage. All the while, the stone statue began to crack, a strange light pouring out. The light was faint, but the sound of cracking stone caught Xanatos' ears, and his eyes caught the growing cracks, spider-webbing across the statues. Suddenly, to David's shock and awe, the statue beside him erupted, revealing a living humanoid creature underneath. Its violet skin, mane of black hair, powerful looking wings, strong tail, and overall appearance sent chills down the human's spine, as did the deep, echoing roar it released.

Finally, after the countless years of sleeping, waiting, and dreaming of the past, Goliath has awoken, and the gargoyles lived again. One by one, the seven beasts broke from their stone slumber, roars echoing around them. "Yes" exclaimed David under his breath. He didn't know if it would actually happen, but somehow, he has done it. He has awoken the lost gargoyle clan of Castle Wyvern. All seemed to be going according to plan. Goliath glided down to the six others, looking over his comrades. "You're awake" he said, smiling. "We're awake! We're alive! We're together again!" Cheers rang throughout the seven great beast, laughing and celebrating all the while.

However, their celebration was short lived. It was one of the younger gargoyles, a short one with webbed wings, a bald head, and green skin that was the first to notice it. Technically, it was a great grey and blue gargoyle beast who noticed first, but it was the green one's reaction that caught everyone else's attention. In his gasp of surprise, he looked over the edge of the castle he and his fellow gargoyles called home. What he and the others saw shocked them: a city unlike anything they have ever seen. Everything was so alien to them: the structures that reached high above the clouds, chariots that needed no horses to pull them, the ground covered in lights that made night look like day. Murmurs of worry and wonder were exchanged, along with the occasional questions, such as "what is this" and "where are we". With jaws hanging open in disbelief, the gargoyles knew one thing for sure: this was not Scotland, or at least, not the Scotland they knew. Their attention turned from the large and apparently bustling city below to the sound of footsteps drawing near. When they turned to the source of the sound, they came face to face with a man with dark tanned skin, an unshaven but neatly trimmed face, long hair pulled back, dressed entirely in black. "You are the one called 'Goliath'" asked the man to their leader. "Yes" he replied, which was equally replied with a simple "excellent."

The gargoyles joined their host; one David Xanatos he called himself, into what was once the dining hall of the castle. So much has indeed changed, as the castle was illuminated by modern lights instead of ancient torches. A large fire flickered in the fireplace behind Xanatos, providing warmth to the already modernly heated chamber. Suits of armor, shields, swords, and other medieval artifacts were meticulously positioned around the chamber, making the room look more a museum. "How long have we slept" asked Goliath, knowing right away that it was no longer their proper time. "This may be a shock to you," said David as he watched the fire before him, his back to the gargoyles, "but a thousand years have passed since the Magus put his curse on you all." None of them could believe what they had just heard. One thousand years, a whole millennium lost to them. It was quite a blow to say the least, knowing that they may have slept through some of the greatest moments in the world's history. "I've learned about the castle and the history of it from an ancient book that came into my possession not too long ago." David moved over to a glass box, indicating the ancient book within. Instantly, Goliath recognized the book, it was not hard to forget the very book that cursed him and his clan. Its brown leather cover, the aged pages within, the two golden serpents wound around a sword. It was the Grimorum Arcanorum. "Supposedly, it was a part of a pair. The Magus who cursed you wrote the whole story down in both of them. As of the moment, I cannot find its sister book." Goliath seemed somewhat relieved at hearing that the human could not find the black leather book: the Demonica Tome.

"Now then" David began, turning his gaze back to his guest, "I'm sure you have some questions. So if you do, feel free to ask." The eldest gargoyles, one with an Earthy brown skin and silver beard, asked first. "How did ye break the spell?" "The spell was designed to end when 'the castle rose above the clouds'" quoted Xanatos. "What about the eggs? The whole rookery, are they alright" asked an ivory skinned female with thin red hair. "All gone, I'm afraid" he answered, hanging his head low. "As of this moment, you seven are the last of your kind." Sadly, she lowered her head, her worries confirmed. "Why have you done all this" asked Goliath, most eager to understand this strange human's intentions. "Call it, 'a child-like curiosity'" answered David, going on to explain "I was fascinated by the Magus' story in the Grimorum, and wanted to see if it was true. And now that I know it is, I want to help you, be your friend." Cautiously, but with some pride in his steps, Xanatos approached Goliath, never taking eye contact off him. "There is so much we can do for one another Goliath, as well as your clan." This peaked Goliath's curiosity, a little skeptical of the human's motives. "Such as?"

"Well…" began David, only to be interrupted by the sound of an approaching helicopter. "That's funny" said David, quite confused "I'm not expecting company." As he moved towards the doors outside to the court, he asked the gargoyles "please, stay here. It will be much safer for you." And with that, he left the seven gargoyles to ponder the current predicament. Of course, as curious as David was, the gargoyles soon followed. As David made his way outside, a sudden bright light shone on him, temporarily blinding him. The light, a powerful floodlight, was attached to a helicopter, one that was hovering high above the castle. Five or six ropes fell from the copter, a team of what appeared to be highly trained soldiers sliding down them. It was hard to recognize one soldier from another, as they all wore the same uniform and kept the faces covered with special visors and helmets. "Secure the perimeter" ordered one of the soldiers, the others falling into place. Like a well trained military unit, guns raised and ready, the soldiers took a position around Xanatos. One of the soldiers, apparently the leader of the group, moved towards David, his gun pointed directly at his rib cage. "Who are you?" asked Xanatos, "what do you want?" "Oh, you'll know, soon enough" replied the soldier, finger on the trigger and appearing ready to fire at any moment.


	7. Awakening Part 2 Act 3

As the unknown soldiers placed themselves around the castle, guns cocked and aimed at Xanatos, the gargoyles watched in wonder and worry. This seemed just like another invasion back in their own time, but they looked nothing like the usual savages they battled. "What's going on" asked the beaked red gargoyle, "who are these people?" Goliath and the elder didn't care who they were, what they cared about was what they were doing. "They're attacking the castle! That's all we need to know!" Goliath would not, will not allow that to happen. They have lost their home once; they will not lose it again! With a mighty roar, all of the seven gargoyles charged forward, dead set on repelling these invaders.

Goliath led his clan, attacking the five soldiers. Shocked by the sudden appearance of seven monsters, the soldiers opened fire on them, missing each shot. Goliath tackled the team leader, knocking the wind out of him. He quickly recovered, raising an automatic machine gun to Goliath. A volley of bullets flew towards Goliath, almost scratching him. On all fours, Goliath ran forth, swung around, and used his tail to whip the soldier out from underneath his feet. The soldier was quick to recover, charging forth to tackle Goliath. Goliath had no time to react, as he was knocked onto his back by the soldier. He raised his weapon at Goliath, laser scope pointing right on his forehead. Fortunately, Xanatos came in and saved the leader. Using the self defense lessons he received from Owen, David disarmed the attacker, and flung him effortlessly over his shoulder.

The two humans were caught in a stare down. The soldier's gun lay in between the two of them. Whoever could reach it first would gain the advantage, and the other would receive a piece of lead buried in his brain. Xanatos ran as fast as he can towards the gun, only to be intercepted by another soldier. Sensing the danger Xanatos was in, the large blue gargoyle came up from behind him, growling to gain his attention. With the soldier distracted, and the chance to obtain the enemy's weapon gone, Xanatos ran back into the castle. "Nice mask" said the second soldier, smirking. "A little early for Halloween though." The large gargoyle may not know what 'Halloween' was, but he could easily recognize an insult. Before he could act though, the soldier drew out a blade and swung in before him. Jumping out of the blade's range, the blue one tripped over his own tail, falling on his wings. Appearing at a disadvantage, the soldier lunged forward, ready to impale the beast. Fortunately, the gargoyle was resourceful, and used his feet to kick the soldier over him.

Rolling from his launch, the soldier came face to face with both an ivory skinned female monster and an earth toned monster. The female tried to tackle him the soldier from behind, while the male charged forward with a wicked silver dagger. The soldier easily countered the female's attack, tossing her into the male. As both of them were knocked down, the soldier, along with the first one from before, pulled out a taser gun from their back pockets and fired. As soon as the cords made contact with their targets, a large and powerful surge of electricity shot forth, sending a scorching pain through every part of their body. Screaming in agony, both gargoyles fell to their knees, barely able to react in any way.

The red gargoyle dropped from behind both soldiers, shoving them both into a nearby wall. "Leave them alone" he commanded as he shoved, making the soldiers drop their guns. As soon as the triggers were released, the electricity stopped, leaving both gargoyles in a paralyzed state. "Are you okay" asked the red gargoyle. "Aye, I'm fine" replied the elder, "but the lass needs yer attention!" True to his word, the young female was laying on the floor, sprawled out, unconscious. Being the youngest of all the young ones, she could not stand as much pain as the others. She may appear older and act more mature, but she was still 'the hatchling' of the clan. Without another word, the red one took the female into his arms and carried her inside. Once he reached the main hall, he laid her down on the table, careful not to cause her more harm. When sure that she would be safe inside the castle, the red beaked male returned to the battle.

When he reached the outside, he assisted his friends in getting the elder back to his feet. As they raised him up, a soldier threw a grenade at them, dead set on getting rid of them. Fortunately, the green one caught the grenade before it made contact. Unfortunately, he quickly dismissed the strange egg shaped device, tossing it over his shoulder. Without a slight warning, the device exploded behind them, knocking the four gargoyles forward and waking the female. Quickly shaking her head to clear her mind, she quickly ran back to the battle, narrowly avoiding the shrapnel the grenade produced.

As the battle down in the parliaments intensified, Xanatos quickly ran to the higher levels of the castle, stopping at a nearby wall. Pushing in one of the loose bricks that jetted out, a secret panel opened, revealing a strange looking device. It appeared to be some sort of rifle, but didn't have any slot for an ammo cartridge or a muzzle. Nearby, Goliath was caught in a stalemate with one of the soldiers. These invaders were formidable advisories, and their weapons gave them the advantage. One of these said weapons was currently raised up at Goliath's chest, ready to fire. Suddenly, a small red beam shot above the soldier, singeing the wall behind him. After a few seconds of the laser's assault, the wall exploded, burying the soldier in rubble. Goliath turned his gaze to where the beam came from, seeing David Xanatos, with a strange sort of gun in his hands. All David did was smile at the gargoyle, before turning his gaze at another soldier on a nearby wall. Pulling the trigger, David fired the beam at the soldier, missing him by a foot. David fired again, this time aiming for the raised stones the soldier was using as a barricade. With one swift shot, the barricade was destroyed, leaving the soldier temporarily destroyed.

Quickly as she could, the female gargoyle joined back into the fray, running into a female soldier. The green male landed in front of the soldier, right beside the female gargoyle. "You think she's a Viking" he asked as the soldier fired. Both gargoyles jumped over the side, quickly avoiding the bullets flying at them. The female soldier looked over the edge of the wall, trying to locate the two targets. She couldn't find a hint of them, and she thought that they might have actually jumped to their deaths. "I highly doubt that she's a Viking" stated the female, as they quickly took to the skies. Both gargoyles swooped in on the female soldier from behind, quickly attacking the soldier from behind. The female gargoyle swept the soldier off her feet, while the male gargoyle tackled her, making her land on her face. Struck by the two pronged attack, the soldier dropped her rifle, letting it slide in front of Goliath and the elder. "These strange weapons, we must be battling sorcerers" stated the elder. "Even so" said Goliath, "we must defend the castle! It's all that we have left!" Suddenly, a fierce explosion knocked the two of them off their ground, as another grenade was tossed at them.

Not too far away, the red beaked male gargoyle frayed every swing a soldier was making. The blade the soldier swung at him never made a mark, always missing by a foot or more. "Hold still, you freak" growled the soldier. With the soldier distracted by the red one's acts, David raised his gun, aiming at the dead center of the soldier. "Time to take the gloves off" said David to himself, ready to fire. Before he could, he was knocked down by another soldier, accidently firing the beam at one of the towers. The battle was turning into pandemonium, chaos spreading all over.

The chaos was also noticed in the New York City skyline, as a mysterious thunder rumbled overhead, flashes of a strange lightning seen. As some of the New Yorkers noticed the strange storm, large boulders came tumbling down, like mighty fist from God. Instantly, all the residents were caught in a sudden state of panic, fleeing as fast as they can from the Eyrie building and the unnatural storm over it. Soon afterwards, members of New York's finest, the New York Police Department, or N.Y.P.D., came to the scene to help the citizens. Two of those officers were a pair of detectives: a male and a female, detectives Travis Champion and Elisa Maza.

Back with the gargoyles, a wall exploded open, revealing five of the seven beasts, all coughing and choking on the dust the explosion produced. Behind the five was one of the soldiers, running as fast as he can. And right behind the soldier, was a very terrifying, and angry looking gargoyle beast, barking. Up in the parliaments, Goliath was caught off guard by a sudden grenade nearby. As soon as it exploded, a large piece of the wall was blown away, as well as Goliath. Thinking fast, he sunk his claws into the side of the wall, quickly climbing as the wall began to topple. Just as the made it to the top, the wall collapsed below him, nearly sending him plummeting again. Quickly, Goliath opened his mighty wings, rising up into the air. Unfortunately, a large piece of the wall fell and hit him in between his shoulders, causing his wings to collapse. Plummeting again, Goliath reached for a nearby flag staff, only for it to snap with his added weight. As he fell for a third time, he quickly sank his claws into the side of the building, leaving deep gashes in the stone walls as he slid down. As his sliding came to a stop, Goliath began to climb back up to the castle, dead set on finishing this battle before the castle became nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Down below the clouds, more boulders fell onto the streets, leaving deep potholes and craters in their wake. One of these boulders almost crushed detective Maza as she rescued a man trapped under his car. Swiftly, Champion saved her, knocking her too her back and out of harm's way. "Thanks" said Elisa as she rose back to her feet. Travis rose to his feet as well, shrugging of the compliment and stating "you owe me." "The usual" asked Elisa, which was answered with a "you know it, and make sure it has extra pepperoni." As they made their way closer to the building, trying to reach the source and stop it, they noticed a few stragglers still in the danger zone. "Clear out, now" commanded Maza, watching as they quickly took her command and ran. Travis sighed, muttering "we're in no mood to be mopping up any grease stains." Suddenly, both detectives noticed something on one of the side of one of the boulders. "Are those" asked Champion, which was replied with an "I think so". As the two looked at the three deep, long gashes on the boulder, they couldn't help but muse them themselves: "claw marks?/!"

As the battle went on outside the castle, and the pandemonium spread below the castle, inside the castle all was quiet. This was exactly what the soldiers wanted: five soldiers would distract Xanatos and the 'new protection' that he was sure to have, as a six would sneak into the castle to complete their objective. Weaving his way through the many halls of the castle, the soldier reached a pair of double doors, guarded by a sophisticated locking terminal. Pulling out a small device, the soldier placed the device inside the terminal, and waited for the device to overload and destroy the terminal. As soon as the terminal was destroyed, the doors slid open.

Outside, the green skinned male and ivory skinned female tackled two of the soldiers, only to be rolled over and held in a strangle. "Gotcha" snarled one of the soldiers, crushing the windpipe of the female gargoyle. As soon as both gargoyles screamed for help, Goliath reached the top of the parliament and rushed in, strong arming one soldier as he tackled into another. Growling, Goliath raised the soldier to his height, fully intent on finishing him off. Before he could do a thing though, another soldier tossed in a canister of tear gas, blinding the leader with his own tears. As soon as it took effect, the soldiers ran to their comrade, pulling him away from the choking beast.

Back inside the castle, the sixth soldier sprinted as fast as he can, carrying a large metal suitcase under his arm. As soon as he reached the outside, he raised the suitcase up, and shouted "I got it!" Taking the signal, the female soldier loaded a flair gun and fired up into the air. As soon as it reached a considerable height, the flair exploded, bathing the castle in a blinding white light. The signal was sent, and the helicopter flew back towards the castle. As it descended on the grounds of the castle, the propellers cleared away the gas around Goliath. He tried to stagger towards the helicopter, but the gas was still in his lungs, and he could only muster a few steps before falling to his knees, coughing. When the copter landed, all six soldiers fell back inside, their commander shouting "let's go, we got what we came for!" "I don't think so" said Xanatos as he aimed his gun towards the copter, ready to fire. Before he could, one of the soldiers threw what looked to be some sort of round disc at David's hand, quickly disarming him. And before he had time to pick up his gun, the helicopter took off, and left.

As soon as it started, the battle was over, and it was clear who the winner was. David turned his attention to the gargoyles as they came together, trying to figure out what exactly happened. "I've never seen weapons like that before" said the red one, "and that flying creature as well. It just swooped in and carried them out." "What exactly was that creature" asked the female, her eyes raised to the skies overhead. "A dragon, no doubt" answered the elder, only to be corrected by the green one. "That wasn't a dragon. It was a, a machine of some sort." It appeared that David had a lot to teach the gargoyles, but first thing was first. "Thank you" he said, "without your help as well as your friend's, who knows what those thugs might have done." "Somebody who once called himself my friend said the same thing" growled Goliath, old memories becoming fresh in his mind, "and then he betrayed and destroyed my clan." "I see that I have a long way to go to obtain your trust" said David, being careful as he opened an old wound. Pulling out his portable phone, he called to Owen, telling him to send a clean-up crew to fix the castle. "Why did those men attack you" asked Goliath. "The richer one is, the more enemies' one has" stated David, "and as it stands, I'm very rich." "Goliath, this is your home, as well as my headquarters" said David, approaching the gargoyles. "I am not asking you to do a thing, but I will say that maybe in the future, you will be able to work with me in keeping it safe." Goliath turned his gaze the battle scars scattered around the castle, trying to feel the gravity of the situation they were in. As it stands, he and his fellow gargoyles were strange creatures in a strange world. All they knew about their life was gone: the lands, the people, the battles, the weapons. Everything was so alien to them. All they had left was each other, and the castle. If Goliath were to lose either of these, he doubted he could live for long. As it stands, he really didn't have much of a choice. This was made even more obvious by the elder's words, "it's your decision lad, but, we've nowhere else to go." With a sigh, and a growl, Goliath has made his decision. "Besides each other, this castle is our home, no matter where it has been taken. We will stay." "Excellent" said David, shaking Goliath's hand. "I know you've been used poorly by humans in the past" he said, "but all of that is about to change." "You may have broken the spell of sleep on us" said Goliath, quickly taking his hand out of David's, "and for that we are grateful. But remember this: we will never trust humans again." David nodded, fully understanding. "I can see that this relationship is something we've all got to work at."

Down below, in the streets of New York, the chaos has finally ceased, and order has returned. Or so it would seem on the outside, but inside the heads of two detectives, there was too much chaos to calm. Detectives Maza and Champion gazed up at the mysterious Eyrie building, now more curious than ever. At first, their curiosity was only job related, trying to figure out what was going on up above. Now, it has grown to a fascination, wondering not only what happened, but what could possibly leave deep claw marks in a solid slab of granite. "What do you make of it detectives?" asked a nearby cop, turning his gaze from the building to the two. Travis snorted. "Don't look at me, I got no idea." "Me neither" said Elisa, "but we're gonna find out."

_**To Be Continued…**_


	8. Awakening Part 3 Act 1

With the chaos cleared and peace restored, all of New York returned to its regular life. Pedestrians walked down the streets again, businesses opened, taxies drove down the bustling and busy streets, and all the police awaited the time they were needed again. But, two police members, a pair of detectives, were still feeling turmoil. After the pandemonium of what happened around the Eyrie building, Detectives Travis Champion and Elisa Maza had a feeling that something very big was happening. And the only way to figure out what that something was is to investigate the location where it started.

The inside lobby of the Eyrie building was ravishingly decorated. Bright warm colors painted on the walls, plants placed in the perfect position for atmosphere, beautiful tile work, paintings that must have taken years to perfect, it was all beautiful. Travis was taking in every detail of the beautiful building as his partner spoke with the personal assistant of the business owner: Owen Burnett. "A most unfortunate accident" simply stated Owen. "One of the new generators exploded inside the castle. I'm sure Mr. Xanatos is willing to pay for any damages sustained." Elisa nodded, taking in the excuse Owen strung out before them. "That's very interesting, Mr. Burnett" she said, before Travis interrupted with a "Now let's a little something I like to call "The Truth"." Owen's eyebrow twitched, clearly taking offense to Travis' rather crude speaking. "Excuse me?" "Mr. Burnett, we clearly heard automatic weapons' fire coming from the roof" explained Elisa, trying to balance out Travis' rather blunt speaking. "Now, you have one of two options:" she went on to explain, "#1) you can either allow us to look the place over, or #2) we can come back with a search warrant and a lot more cops." "It's your call" added Travis. Slowly, Owen smiled, admitting defeat, and lead the two detectives to the nearby elevators.

As soon as the elevator opened open inside the castle, the two detectives were impressed. "Big ego, much" asked Travis, looking around the authentic looking building. "Hey, how else to you expect the rich to blow through their cash so quickly" retorted Elisa as she looked at the Grimorum through the glass encasing it. "Must have one hell of a heating bill" said Elisa, removing her jacket and removing some sweat. Travis only scoffed, turning his gaze towards a nearby painting. "Man, who decorated this place, Play-Doh?" asked Travis. "I believe you mean "Plato"" corrected Owen. "Same thing."

"Detective Maza. Detective Champion." Elisa and Travis turned their gaze to the newest voice in the room, meeting David Xanatos. They've heard a lot about him, and read a lot about him from magazines, but meeting him in person was different. 'Funny' Travis thought, 'I always pictured Xanatos with darker skin.' "I just called the mayor to offer my most profound of apologies for what happened here tonight." Wasting no time with formalities, Elisa went straight to the point. "What exactly did happen here, Mr. Xanatos?" "And don't give us that stupid "exploding generator" story" stated Travis. Xanatos chuckled, leading the two detectives outside for some fresh air. "Owen was a little confused" explained Xanatos, "that's for the press. The truth is that my men repelled an invasion by a rival corporation from stealing some of our latest technology." The two stopped in mid-step, not believing what they just heard. "Whoa, wait a minute! 'Repelled an invasion'? Who do you think you are, The Dominican Republic?" "Mr. Xanatos, you're a private citizen, not a country" stated Elisa, trying to balance out Travis' blunt comment. "Detectives" stated Xanatos, as he opened the door to the outside court, "I am the owner of a multi-national corporation whose technology is worth countless millions of dollars. It's safe to say that I'm larger than most countries you can name."

As soon as the detectives reached the outside, they were gob smacked. It almost appeared as if World War III took place here, to which Travis commented "Jesus Christ, what happen up here, Armageddon break out?" "In a manner" replied Xanatos, unfazed by Travis' snide remark, slightly infuriating the detective. "I take it you have the proper permits for the weapons being fired up here?" asked Elisa, already knowing that Xanatos would reply with a nonchalant "of course." As the two detectives looked over the damages the castle sustained, a sudden chill fell over Travis. "Problem?" asked Elisa. Travis shrugged it off, trying to keep his cool. "Nah, just got a chill." Travis kept looking around, a feeling of being watched hanging over him. What he didn't know was that at that moment, in the nearby shadows of a nearby tower, Goliath was carefully observing the two new humans, watching and waiting.

Meanwhile, the young quartets of gargoyles were exploring the additions to their castle home. At the moment, they had entered the kitchen, quickly amazed by what they saw. "Would you look at all this stuff" exclaimed the green one, "it's fantastic!" "I don't know" said the female, picking up a nearby colander. After turning it a few times in her hands, she quickly put the curious item away. All the while, the aqua gargoyle opened the door to a giant walk in freezer. His mouth fell open with shock and amazement, never has he seen so much food in all his life. Cuts of beef, fish, sausages, everything he could possibly eat. As he gather up all the food he can, using one of the frozen slabs of beef as a tray, all that was going through his head was 'I've died and gone to Heaven!'

Suddenly, he heard a loud slam. Quickly turning, he saw that the door was closed, and there was no way to open it from inside. Quickly dropping the food he picked up, he began beat his fist against the large metal door. "Hey" he screamed, "let me out! It's cold in here!" "Hold on" cried the green one, "we'll save you!" "You push while we pull" commanded the red one. At first, it did not seem to have any effect, the door was sealed tight. "This isn't working" groaned the female. "Tell me something I don't know" shot back the red one. "Hurry up you guys, I can't feel my wings" complained the large one, feeling ice begin to form on his wings. "Try again, but this time, get a good running start" suggested the green one. Taking a few steps back, the large aqua one readied himself to ram into the door. On the other side, the green one and the red one still pulled, trying to pry it open. All the while, the female scurried through all the drawers, looking for something. Finally, she returned to the others, a spatula in hand. "Here" she said, holding up the utensil, "use this." "For what" asked the red one, only to receive a rather skeptical look. "Use your head for once" she stated, jamming the spatula in the groove between the wall and door. Finally understanding what she had in mind, the red one ran went over to the spatula and began to pull it, using the item as a lever. As soon as the large one reached a distance he thought would be far enough, he ran full speed towards the door. Unfortunately, as soon as he was going to hit the door, it shot open, sending him straight into the other three gargoyles at full ramming speed.

"Excuse me for interrupting, Mr. Xanatos" stated Owen as he approached, "but it seems some of our guest are having difficulties in the kitchen." Xanatos only chuckled, leaving the two detectives confused. "Guest? What guest?" asked Travis. "Just a few foreigners that I decided to bring to New York with me. You could say that my castle is 'a package deal'." This only gave him a skeptical look as his response. "Well, I hope that I've answered all of your questions satisfactorily detectives. Owen will show you the way out." And with that, David Xanatos left the three, making his way to the kitchen to straighten out the problem. "If you two will accompany me" said Owen, leading the two towards a nearby elevator. As the three made their way to the elevator, Elisa stopped. Her attention turned to one of the nearby stone gargoyles above them. For a moment, little more than two seconds, she could have sworn…But such a thing was impossible. "Hey, Elisa" Travis said, catching her attention, "problem?" For a long moment, Elisa remained silent, mulling over what she has just seen. "Is there a problem, Detective Maza?" asked Owen. Elisa pointed to a nearby statue above them, saying "see that stone gargoyle up there? For a moment, I could have sworn it moved." Both Travis and Owen turned their gaze to the gargoyle, one of them only seeing a statue. Owen chuckled, suddenly seeming nervous. "Yes, this old castle does have a tendency to be spooky at nights. I myself thought the same thing more than once." As they reached the elevator, Owen opened the door for them, bidding the two detectives "Good night."

"Did you believe a single word of that" asked Travis from within the elevator. The two detectives were musing over what just took place that night, and there were more questions than answers. Who were Xanatos' so called 'Guest'? What could he possibly want with a whole castle? Why did Owen suddenly act startled by Elisa's mention of a statue? And there were more on top of those. And no good detective worth his or her badge would leave questions unanswered. Stopping the elevator and opening the door, Elisa answered with a "not one." Travis pulled out a flashlight, lighting up the darkened hallway they reached. "Looks like this investigation isn't over" he said, moving his way cautiously through the hall. As they made their way through the dark, hallowed halls, a feeling of uneasiness fell upon them. "Don't tell me this is when Dracula jumps out" joked Elisa, while Travis cautiously and erratically threw the beam of his flashlight around. "Travis, relax, there's nothing here." "I know that, but," Travis faltered, before adding "do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" Elisa just shrugged, returning to the investigation.

When the two made their way to a divide, they split up. Travis took the hall to the left, while Elisa took the hall to the right. Suddenly, Travis ran towards Elisa, looking very pale. "Travis, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost." "I think" he said in between pants, trying to regain his breathing. "I, I think, I think I heard one!" "What?" "I heard one! I heard something growl down there, and I just freaked!" Elisa sighed, having a feeling that she was going to regret this investigation. Slowly, they made their way through the halls and up a flight of stairs. Unbeknownst to them, they were being tailed. The large gargoyle beast, having picked up a foreign scent trail, went over to investigate. Sniffing around, it followed down the hall Elisa and Travis went.

At last, Travis and Elisa reached the top of the stairs, opening up into one of the many barracks along the castle walls. Just as they were leaving, a strange growl echoed from the stairs. Quickly, they separated, each covering a side of the opening. Cautiously, the pulled out their hand guns, ready for anything. "Alright pal, NYPD" called Travis down the stairs. "Slowly exit the stairwell and put your hands above your head" commanded Elisa. Then, the two detectives jumped away from the door, as a large grayish blue creature, looking like a gargoyle statue come to life. Just when they thought the night couldn't get any weirder, another creature, human looking with purple skin and black hair, came from behind them, grabbed both of their guns, and crushed them with its bare hands. Stunned beyond all rational thought, both detectives slowly backed away. Unfortunately, Elisa did not notice where she was going, and fell back against the outer barricade of the wall, through one of the gaps. In no time at all, Elisa fell, screaming the entire time.


	9. Awakening Part 3 Act 2

Elisa has never been so scared in all of her life. Fear was not something she usually felt, but often experienced when taking the job of detective in the New York Police. Every day, she had to see the look of fear on innocent people's faces when facing the evils humanity had to throw at it. She has faced street thugs, crime rings, petty criminals, professional criminals, the occasional drug induced raving lunatic, and worse. But not once was she afraid.

Now, as she plummeted hundreds upon hundreds of feet, possibly even miles towards the ground, she was wracked with fear. Fear for her life, fear for her partner's life, and fear of those terrifying monsters she's seen scant minutes ago. She remembered them so well: one was a sort of animal like monster, walking on four large paws, with grayish-blue skin and white eyes. And the second one: a more human looking beast. She couldn't remember every detail about it, but all she could remember were the large wings on its back.

As she fell, she could almost swear she could see that human monster again, almost as if it was falling towards her. It was not until she heard the screams of pedestrians down below her that she realized that the monster really did fall after her. She couldn't believe it: whoever, whatever this thing was, it was saving her life. Caught in the crook of its arms, Elisa and the creature fell towards the streets below, one of them clenching close to the other. To Elisa's surprise, she never felt the sickening thud of flesh meeting concrete, or hearing the sickening crack of bones shattering like glass. Instead she felt a strong current lift her and the creature holding on to her up, and heard surprised and shocked gasp and screams from pedestrians below. Just as soon as it started, Elisa's descent ended, on the side banister of the Eyrie building with a very unconventional guest.

No longer having to worry about dying, Elisa was finally able to get a full view of her rescuer. To say she was startled was an understatement at the least. She was enthralled and terrified. Standing before her was a purple creature standing at an easy 7 feet tall. It had a thick dark mane of black hair, taut muscles on its arms, legs, and chest, a square jaw, four fingers, large digitigrades feet, long pointed ears, a ridge of bumps on its above its eyebrows, a thick long tail, large wings, and was dressed only in a leather loincloth.

"Okay," said Elisa, trying to get a grasp on the situation. "Okay, let's just take it easy for a minute." "What were you doing in my castle" asked the beast, a deep and gravelly voice. "You, you can talk?" asked Elisa, practically begging herself to wake-up. "Who the, _what_ the Hell are you?" "My kind goes by no names" replied the creature, "but you humans have called me 'Goliath'." "Whoa, wait a minute: 'You're kind'? You mean there's more than one of you?" asked Elisa, trying to comprehend the thought of more like him. With a sigh, Goliath answered with a remorseful "barely". With that, Goliath turned away from her, apparently leaving. "Wait" she said, "don't go." He turned back to her, seeing a slightly worried face. "Um, listen" she began to explain, "I'd really like to hear the whole story, honestly, but I'd feel a lot better if we did it on solid ground. So, we can either go back down to the streets, or up to the castle. I highly doubt the people will be happy seeing, well, you down there, so since you can fly-" "I cannot fly" Goliath corrected, "I can only glide on currents of wind. And at the moment there are none strong enough to lift us." "Great, just great" Elisa mumbled, "we're stuck here." Before she knew it, Goliath picked her up by the collar of her jacket, put her on his back, and simply said "hold on". Without waiting for a response, Goliath began to scale the building, digging his sharp claws and talons into the solid stone that made the building. Elisa gasped, both in shock and in fear. This creature was easily capable of piercing stone as if it were tissue paper. For a moment, she was very impressed, but suddenly she remembered that she was in fact about a few miles from the ground. Upon instinct, she wrapped herself tight around Goliath, fearful for her life. "Trust me" reassured Goliath, only to be replied with an "easy for you to say."

After hours of climbing up the Eyrie building, both Goliath and Elisa quickly made contact with solid ground. Sighing in relief, she didn't notice the rapid footsteps heading her way. "Elisa" called Travis, quickly looking over every part of her body, quickly rambling on and on. "Areyouokayyoudidn'-" "Travis!" called Elisa, quickly grabbing the male detective's shoulders. "Breath!" she said, trying to calm down the suddenly eccentric detective. As Travis calmed down, taking deep breaths, a sudden growl quickly caught their collective attention. "Kinda forgot about him" said Travis, slowly reaching for his gun. "He will not harm you" assured Goliath, stroking the beast's head. "Now, once again, what are you doing here" asked Goliath, "and please, neither of you fall off the building this time." Travis gaped, not believing what he has seen, and in this case, heard. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. "Did that thing just make a joke?" With a small smile, Elisa nodded.

"A fine mess ye lot made in that kitchen." "Sorry" said the green male. "I swear it looked as if Vikings ransacked the building" stated the elder. "Sorry again" chimed the large aqua male. "Why, when I heard that crash, I swore that-" "Look" said the female, pointing to one of the nearby wall. "Goliath's talking to a pair of humans." All of the gargoyles turned to where she was pointing, and sure enough, Goliath stood before two humans: one male and one female. "Well I'll be" murmured the elder. "No way" simply stated the large one. "What do you think they're saying" asked the green male. "I don't know" said the red beaked male, "but I'm gonna find out." And with that, he sprinted off towards Goliath and the humans. The other males followed, just as intrigued as the red male. Lagging behind, the female let out a distraught groan. "Why did I have to survive with the reckless hatchlings?"

"…And here we are today." Travis and Elisa didn't move a muscle, didn't dare to. Hearing Goliath's tale of his life, the attack, the curse, everything, they were absolutely speechless. Finally, after absorbing what was said, Travis spoke. "Wow" was all he said, still finding Goliath's story hard to believe. "I'll say" said Elisa, marinating on what she heard. "You and your clan have been asleep for a thousand years, all because you were tricked by the one human who you thought would be your friend." "Just like Judas betraying Christ" Travis said in a whisper. "Does anybody else know about you" he asked, to which Goliath answered "only the man called Xanatos." Both Elisa and Travis had a skeptical look at Goliath's answer, but quickly their faces changed to shock, as more gargoyles, of all sorts of colors and shapes appeared around them. "This can't be happening" Elisa said, before a red gargoyle with white hair and a beak began to sniff at them like a dog. "Are these, friends of yours, Goliath" he asked, which was quickly answered by Travis' "God I hope so." "These are Elisa Maza, and Travis Champion. They are, uh, de-tect-ives?" "Second class, 23rd precinct" said Elisa, with Travis adding "N.Y.P.D." "What exactly does a 'detective' do, lads" asked the elder, which the young ivory female added "and what exactly is 'N.Y.P.D.?" "Well," started Elisa, trying to find a way to explain what they do so the gargoyles can understand. "When somebody does something wrong, me and my partner find out whom and arrest them." "And sometimes, if a case is too hard for the two of us alone, we ask for help from fellow members of the N.Y.P.D., or New York Police Department." "Who says what is wrong" asked Goliath. "Well, we have a justice system" explained Elisa. "You know: laws, penalties, assessments, stuff the people decide in this Democracy" added Travis. "You mean, the humans decide" stated Goliath, bitterly.

Looking over towards the city, Goliath could easily see the sky brightening before them. Dawn was coming quickly, and he did not want these strangers to linger any longer. "The two of you must go" he commanded. "Now!" "Whoa, wait a minute, pal" snapped Travis, "two things: A) that was just plain rude, and B)-" "Will we see you again" asked Elisa. "Elisa" hissed Travis. "Listen, he saved my life" Elisa stated, "so I figure I owe him. And besides, I would really like to get to know more about them." Travis sighed, "I guess." With another, deeper sigh, Travis said "oh, alright, alright. Besides, if they're going to stay here, we might as well help them understand it." "If we are to defend the castle, we should know more about the dangers this world will bring" mused Goliath, deep in thought. Finally, Goliath replied with a "very well." "Great" said Elisa, looking over at Travis. For a moment, Travis didn't say a thing, until finally he stated a simple "what?" "Well" she quipped, looking at her partner. Finally, Travis understood what Elisa was thinking. "Hey, hey, don't expect me to act all gushy because you made friends with a monster, no offense." "None taken" said the female, before adding a quiet "jerk." "Anyway, since I don't see any way out of this" Travis continued, "tomorrow's our day off. So, the way we see it, we'll meet you hear on the castle in the afternoon-" "After dark" corrected Goliath. Elisa chuckled. "Man did we set ourselves up for that one. Alright, here, after dark." "No, not here" corrected Goliath, again, before pointing to a far set office building. "We will meet over there, on that roof top." Looking at the building, Travis asked "why meet over there?" "Why were you two snooping around our castle like mice" asked Goliath. With that question, Elisa replied "a good detective trusts nobody but his or her partner." "At last" said Goliath, "something we have in common." And with that, Travis and Elisa left, still coming to terms with their new 'friends'.

"It seems that much has changed from the world we knew" said the elder, looking over the two humans who have left. Indeed, much has definitely changed. The most prominent change thus far was the fact that there were now women taking authorities. In their age, women were only allowed to be cleaning maids, servers, cooks, and had to become housewives. Not once was there a woman who held authority that wasn't of royal blood. Now, seeing Elisa Maza and the apparent power she has, things have definitely changed. "Indeed, and if we are to survive in this new world, we must learn more about it, and the humans who rule here" said Goliath. Already, the rest of the clan knew that no matter what, living in the new world wouldn't be easy.

"Goliath" called Owen, capturing the leader's attention. Gliding down to Owen, Goliath asked "what is it". "Mr. Xanatos request an audience with you" he stated, adding "if you will follow me." Soon, all the other gargoyles stood beside their leader, wishing to hear what Xanatos has to say. "I'm terribly sorry" said Owen, blocking the others, "but I'm afraid that Mr. Xanatos requested his audience with Goliath, alone." With remorse, the other gargoyles backed away, allowing only Owen and Goliath to enter the castle. After a few minute's walk, Goliath was shown the entranceway to David Xanatos' personal office. The office seemed very plain, only Xanatos' desk, a chair, a few couches, and a few paintings on the walls. "It is almost dawn Xanatos" stated Goliath, wanting to waste no time, "my clan and I must sleep soon." "This won't take long then," said Xanatos, reaching for a small box in his desk. "I'm asking for your help Goliath." Once he had the box in his hand, he opened it, and pulled out what appeared to be a flat piece of plastic with metal on one of the edges and in the middle of it. "Those mercenaries who attacked tonight stole something very important to me. The box they stole contained a few of these hard discs." "Discs" asked Goliath, as he held the so called "disc" in his hands. "Think of them as magic talismans" Xanatos went on to explain; hoping that by relating these items to something Goliath was familiar with, it would be easier to reach the point. "Each one contained trillions of pieces of data, millions of spells if it were. It is vitally important that you and your friends get them back for me." "Perhaps you should ask for the help of a, detective" suggested Goliath, unsure of the situation. As David heard Goliath's suggestion, he only knew of one way he could have learned of them so fast: the two detectives who came in earlier ran into the gargoyles. It didn't bother him actually, just made things more interesting. "You're a fast learner. Unfortunately, I can't go to the police on this one. I already had to forestall an investigation of the fight. Beside, think of the trouble it would cause if they found out about you and your friends: they'd capture you, take you away, experiment on you, dissect you, maybe even worse. Remember, you and your clan are the last gargoyles on Earth. When humans get first sight of you, they'll fear you." "And betray us" added Goliath, only imagining what these humans were capable of. "If we were to accept, what would you have us do?"

"My resources have indicated that those thieves were hired by a rival multi-national corporation called "Rapture Industries"." As David explained the situation, he walked over to one of his paintings, flipping it over to reveal a sheet of glass. Tucking a black plastic brick-like object inside a hidden slot, and pressing a few buttons, the glass glowed. On the glass now was seen a picture of the city, the nighttime life shining brightly on the strange item. Goliath was entranced, never has he seen such a feat of sorcery. "Amazing" he stated, moving closer to the glass. "It is almost like, some sort of living tapestry." "Your naivety is refreshing, Goliath" he said, entertained by Goliath's fascination with the video monitor. "The stolen data are being held at three different locations: the first is a research tower on a small island in the bay" Xanatos went on to explain. As he explained, the image on the monitor changed. At first, it was just a general picture of the city entirely, but then it showed a tall tower in a nearby bay. A few miles away from the tower stood a great statue of a woman holding a burning torch in her hand. "The second will be in a laboratory that will be heavily fortified deep beneath the city." The picture changed again, this time showing a large array of tunnels leading to a large wall of iron. "And the third is being kept in a great fortress that flies over the city in a regular pattern."  
Lastly, the picture changed to show a great machine. It was just as Xanatos said: a great fortress that seems to fly. Its metallic wings almost appear to be raising and descending, like a bird's wings in flight. With the three targets shown, David turned off the screen, withdrew the brick-like object, and turned the screen back into a painting. "All three of the locations must be hit simultaneously as to give no time for one base to warn the others." Goliath's face showed a sense of distrust, thinking 'such an absurd amount of protection for three of these discs.' "It seems an absurd amount of protection, I know. But I assure you, the knowledge on those discs is truly that important." Still, Goliath seemed, skeptical about the situation. "Why do you want us to help you" he asked. Something about this just did not seem right to him, almost as if Xanatos was failing to mention something. "This operation must be done swiftly before their scientist break the encryption codes, before they translate the spells, if you will." For a long while, Goliath mulled over the situation. Retrieving magical items was indeed important, especially if they fell into the wrong hands. But still, something just seemed amiss. He could not explain how, but Goliath had the distinct feeling that Xanatos forgot to mention something about this favor. And besides, they were still foreign to this world. How would they be able to assist anybody, including themselves, if they did not know what to expect? "This is much different the guarding the castle. It will endanger the lives of my charges, and myself. And for that, I cannot allow such actions to proceed. I am sorry Xanatos, but I am afraid I must decline." For a moment, David almost seemed mad. But, just as soon as his mad appearance came, it disappeared, replaced by a calm face once again. "I understand" was all he said. "If that is your decision, I won't force you to change it. But still, I ask you to think on it for a while. I am sure that our common enemy means to use the knowledge they obtained to some sort of terrible cause." With those final words in his mind, Goliath left the office, still in deep thought.

With Goliath finally gone, two secret doors opened, each doorway showing a figure hidden in the shadows. One appeared to be a woman, the other a man. However, neither of them appeared to be human. "Don't worry," said Xanatos, not needing to look over either of his shoulders to see his hidden powers. With a cold glint in his eyes, Xanatos stated "everything is going according to plan."


	10. Awakening Part 3 Act 3

A new dawn arose over New York. Businesses began their days, markets opened to sell supplies to needy New Yorkers, and the events of last night were already forgotten. Yes, a sense of normality seemed to once again descend upon the hectic city, even Lady Liberty seemed at ease as the sun shone upon her. But, as the sun rises over the skies of the city, the sun must also set. As the skies overhead turned from a bright Cerulean blue to a fusion of oranges and reds, the city began to slow down. Slow, but never stop, keeping its reputation as "the city that never sleeps." However, as the city and its people slowed, something was just starting.

High above the city and its people, high in the clouds, the seven Gargoyles of Castle Wyvern awoke. A chorus of roars and yawns echoed off the stone walls. As soon as they were fully awake, the red skinned gargoyle jumped up onto the banister, preparing to take off. "Where do you think you're going" asked Goliath. "To explore the city, what else" he replied simply, readying himself. Goliath gazed sternly at the young lad, giving him a stern "why". "Oh, come on Goliath" he said, locking eyes with the leader, "do you honestly expect us to stay up here in the castle forever?" "He's right Goliath" said the green gargoyle, backing up his friend. "If we're going to be living here, we need to know all about this city: its people, its devices, everything." "I hate to admit it," sighed the ivory female, "and I mean I REALLY hate to admit it, but they have a point. Besides, it might be kind of fun, going out into the city. We could see all the new types of art: the music, the sculptures, the paintings, the acting…" "The food" added the large blue gargoyle, causing the female to groan. Goliath looked over the four young gargoyles, pondering. He himself was going to explore with a pair of humans, so it couldn't hurt for them to explore as a unit. Besides, he said that he'll make up for sending them into the rookery all those years ago. "Very well," he stated, "the four of you may explore. But stay close to the castle, and stay out of sight of the humans!" With their leader's blessing, the four young gargoyles took to the sky, eager to explore the strange new world they would be calling 'home'.

Not too far away, on the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper, Detectives Elisa and Travis awaited the arrival of Goliath. Travis yawned loudly, clearly showing that he was bored. "Well, this is all a gas and a blast and all that jazz, but I really got to get going." "Come on Travis," said Elisa in an almost scolding voice, "we said we'd meet here tonight to show Goliath the city. He's just running a little late, is all." "Well, I highly doubt that there were watches in the Stone Age or whenever those things are from, but if he doesn't get here in five minutes, I'm gone. By the way, why exactly did I come in the first place?" "Well, I think you said it yourself; 'you had nothing better to do'." And with that, a scowl appeared on Travis' face. Quickly dropping the subject, Travis turned to go back to the spot he was waiting at, only to be nearly scared to death by Goliath landing mere inches from where he stood. "Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior," Travis exclaimed clutching his chest, before pointing an accusing finger in Goliath's chest, shouting "don't you EVER, do that to me again! God almighty, what in the name of St. Michael were you trying to do: give me a god damn heart attack!" "I just wanted to make sure nobody was following you" stated Goliath. Elisa giggled, then replied "don't worry, big guy. You look like you can handle a whole S.W.A.T. team."

Suddenly, a loud whoosh came from behind Travis, making him jump and grab his chest again. Recovering from his sudden shock, as he saw the elder gargoyle land near where Goliath and Elisa stood, Travis asked himself "God, do all monsters want to scare me half to death?" "What are you doing here" Goliath asked, answered with the elder's "making certain you weren't the one being ambushed." "God, you two are paranoid, even for New Yorkers" quipped Elisa, finding the moment a little funny. Travis however, did not see the comedy of the moment. "Great, great, now we got two of them with us" he grumbled to himself, before sarcastically adding "might as well start charging admission for them." With a sigh, Travis rose back to his feet, finally calmed down. "Well, what's done is done" he said to himself. "So then," Travis said to the elder, "you coming on the tour or not, Mr…" It was then that Travis realized something: although he knew Goliath's name, he never figured out the other's names, or even if they have names. Looking towards the old gargoyle, Travis asked "what's your name again?" "Must you humans name everything" asked the elder, appearing a little insulted. "Nothing's real to you 'til ye named it, given it limits" he went on to say. "It's not like that" said Elisa, trying to explain to him the convenience of names. "It's just that" she said, only to suddenly find no words to say. She tried to explain again, but couldn't find a simple explanation. "Well," she said, deciding to just wing it "thing's just need names." Travis scoffed, hearing such a ridiculous explanation. "Does the sky need a name" stated the elder. "Does the wind need a name" he asked, and then pointed to a near river, asking "does that river?" "Did your castle" quipped Travis, cutting off the elder's point. At the moment, the elder looked confused, wondering himself if Castle Wyvern really needed a name. It was the only castle in the city he saw, so it should be easily recognizable. "Oh," Travis went on, "and by the way, the river's called 'The Hudson'."

Looking over to the leader, the elder sought some form of assistance against the human. However, only seeing a small smile from Goliath, the elder admitted defeat. Groaning, the elder said "fine then lad, then I'll be 'The Hudson' as well."

"Great, Hudson it is" said Elisa, glad to see the situation resolved so quickly. "Yeah, whoopee, we gave the monster a name" Travis stated rather sarcastically, before adding "now, can we please focus on a problem I see with this little tour?" With all eyes on Travis, he put out their problem: "how in the name of the nine Heavens are we going to keep people from spotting a pair of 10 foot tall monsters waltzing around Central Park West?" "Simple" stated Goliath, "we'll stay above the rooftops." "Easy for you to say, big guy, you've got wings" stated Elisa. She went on to ask "what about Travis and me?" Instead of answering Elisa's question, Goliath decided to show her how they'll stay airborne. With a swift motion, Goliath picked up the human woman, holding her in the crook of his arms. After the sudden surprise of being picked up, Elisa eased into the arrangement. "Guess that answers that question" she said. Looking up, she was able to see Goliath's face more clearly, and she had to admit: despite being a thousand year old monster, Goliath was fairly handsome. The same could be said for Goliath: seeing the human close up, he had to admit, she did seem beautiful.

The sound of two clearing throats broke them out of their musing. Looking over to the nearby banister, Elisa and Goliath saw their partners gazing at them, almost skeptically. "Um…" Goliath tried to find some words to ease the sudden tension around them, but for some strange reason, found himself flustered. "We best be off" he finally said, trying to ease down the embarrassed blush on his face, which he was sure matched the blush on Elisa's. "Coming, Hudson" he asked, trying to become used to the elder's new name. Looking down upon the new city below, Hudson considered the possibility. However, he realized that it was just impossible for a gargoyle his age. "I think not" he said hesitantly, almost as if he did want to go, but knew he couldn't. "This new world is too big, too bright, an' far too loud" he went on to explain. "Now that I know yer alright," he continued, "I'll return to guard the castle." And with that said, Hudson took to the skies. 

"Well," said Elisa, watching the gargoyle elder glide away, "that takes care of that. But what about you Travis," she asked, turning over to her partner, "you coming or not?" "Not" Travis stated, adjusting his glasses. "I promised Father Matthew that I'd help him clean up some of the graffiti around the church. Besides, heights and me do not agree." With a short nod, and a tip of his bucket hat, Travis left. "Guess it's just you and me, big guy" Elisa said. "So," she asked "what do you want to see first?" "The dangers that threaten me and my clan" Goliath stated, harshly. "Lighten up, will you" Elisa asked with a chuckle, "stuff like that would bring Travis down, and he used to work in the Morgue."

Wasting no more words, Goliath took to the sky, his passenger in tow. The city proved to be a truly amazing place. From bustling squares full of people, to quiet and calm gardens housing beautiful plants. The many sky scrapers lived up to their names, reaching astronomical heights. Heights so high, that without a strong up-draft, Goliath would never be able to reach the tops. When the two travelers reached the top, Elisa decided to ask about Goliath's current ideals. "So," she asked, "what do you think?" "Such amazing changes have been made in the world while we slept" stated Goliath, truly impressed. "Stone streets, finer than those crafted by the Romans, towers forged of glass and iron." "Yeah, you get used to it" Elisa replied, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. "But, I guess it's a bit much for an, out of towner." The last statement Elisa said she only used because she wasn't truly shore how to label Goliath's current stay in the city. "During our flight, I have seen no walls or watch towers to guard the city. How are you able to protect it from invading forces?" Elisa lowered her head; she had a feeling that Goliath would ask something like that. "Unfortunately, our biggest threats aren't from out there" she said, pointing out towards the ocean. Slowly, she lowered her hand, pointing instead at the very city. "Our problems mostly come from, in here." Goliath nodded, fully understanding what Elisa said. "Again, we have something in common" he simply said, knowing full well that the worst enemy is the one that lives amongst the guardian.

Meanwhile, back in Castle Wyvern, the elder gargoyle, or Hudson as he is now named, aimlessly wandered the halls. Fortunately for him, he wasn't alone. The gargoyle beast decided to accompany him, finding himself bored without the younger gargoyles to play with. The beast whined, looking up pleadingly at Hudson. "Aye, I know how ye feel" he said, "'tis a strange, new world we live in."

During his walks through the halls, Hudson opened many of the new doors. So far, nothing in any of the reconstructed courters or the new rooms seemed of any interest to him. The latest door he opened, however, seemed to be of some interest. As soon as the door opened, a light flickered on, revealing a small, cozy looking room. It had a red carpet covering the floor, and a small plush chair, almost appearing to be throne. Also in the room were a small table in the center, and a large black block with a shimmering face. Hudson quickly recognized the face to be one of those 'monitors' that Owen once mentioned. At the moment, it didn't seem all too interesting. What really interested him was the plush throne in the room. Patting it a few times, Hudson could feel how soft and comfortable it appeared. Decidedly, he sat down on the chair, his face forming into a smile. Suddenly, the back of the chair fell away, causing him to gasp and the beast to bark in surprise. After a few seconds, a bottom part of the chair sprang up from beneath his feet, allowing the chair to rock in place. Letting out a content sigh, Hudson's visage of a relaxed smile returned, "well now" he mused, "this isn't too bad."

Out of the corner of his eye, Hudson noticed a strange thin black block on the table. Picking the block up slowly, allowing the beast to sniff it, he took a closer look at the item. It easily fit into his hand, and was very light weight. On its surface, Hudson could feel a vast array of ridges and bumps. His thumb claw accidentally pushed down one of the bumps, causing a great surprise. With absolutely no warning, the monitor came to life, blasting out a screaming sound a great racket. Given a sudden start, Hudson and the beast ran from the room as if the Devil himself was on their tails, slamming the door shut.

The engine sputtered, occasionally backfiring in the compact car. After a few more sputters, and one more powerful backfire, it finally ceased its agony. Looking out the window, he knew only three things: it was late, the two of them were in a bad neighborhood, and they would be considered easy prey for any nearby street gangs. However, none of these thoughts seemed to register in his wife's mind. "Don't tell me" she chided, "there's this charming little undiscovered bistro behind that dumpster." "Not now, Margo" he said, obviously in no mood to deal with his wife's attitude. He tried to restart the car, turning the ignition a few times, only to receive the terrible sound of gears grinding against one another. "What'd you expect, you only paid $40,000 for the car" Margo stated, shaking her head in annoyance. Trying to keep his calm, he reached for the phone in the car. He mentally praised himself for remembering to ask for the option as soon as he got the car. It may have cost him an extra $50, but he felt it was worth it. Dialing the number of his regular repair department, he put the phone to his ear, only to hear absolutely nothing, not even a busy signal. "Battery's dead, I can't get a call in." "Wonderful, priceless" she stated sarcastically, brushing her blonde hair out of her face. She then sharply asked him "now what do we do". Walking out, he replied "maybe I can fix it." "You? Fix it?" she couldn't help but laugh at the most ridiculous idea her husband ever had. "Mr. 'Honey, the toaster's not working. Can you call the repair man for me?'"

Trying his hardest to keep his cool, although he slammed his door closed a little harder then he needed to, he left the car to try and look over the problem. Popping the hood of the car open, one thing became painfully clear to him: he had absolutely no idea what to do. "Ya got a problem, pal?" Turning around, he saw something that definitely worried him, for before him stood four youths: two Caucasians, a Hispanic girl, and an African American man, obviously members of a street gang judging by their wardrobe embroidered by the array of gang related symbols. "Maybe we can help" stated one of the Caucasian members, rubbing his bald head as if he still had hair, stating "had a year of auto-shop." "Hey Spike, I thought you said it was chop-shop" stated the African-American youth. "Oh yeah, chop-shop, I always get those two mixed up" he said, the others laughing behind him. "There's no need," he stuttered, cautiously stepping away. "I just called the police, they'll be here any moment" he stated, hoping that the threat of law enforcement will make the youths leave. "You got a passport, _amigo_?" the Hispanic girl asked, drawing out a sinister looking knife. "Passport" he stuttered, staring wide-eyed at the knife. "Yeah," stated the African-American, "this is Purple Dragon turf. And Purple Dragons are very territorial." "Papers, now" commanded the other Caucasian. "Just give them your wallet, Brendon" she stated. "I, I don't have much money on me" he said, pulling out his wallet. "Well," said the other Caucasian, pulling out a solid steel chain, "we're really sorry to hear that 'Brendon'."

Before the youths could attack the poor soul, a sudden whooshing sound caught their attention. Turning towards where the sound came from, they came faces to face with a young woman. "Aren't you four up a little late, it is a school night after all" she said, obviously trying to goad them. "Man, this is our lucky night" said the African-American, "two muggings and maybe a bit of fun afterwards." Pulling out a badge, the woman simply stated "police." "Police, huh" Spike said, twirling a lead pipe in his hands, before sarcastically adding a snide "we're really impressed." "I wouldn't if I were you" she said in a sing-song voice, only to receive a few chuckles from the youths. Seeing as they won't heed her warning, the officer simply said "fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Running off into a nearby alley, the youths followed close behind. For a moment, nothing seemed to have happened. Suddenly, just as Margo exited the car, a deep growl emerged, sounding almost like a rabid bear. Gathering a little bit of his courage, Brendon dared to see what was happening in the alley, only to see something that nearly knocked him to his rear. In the alley, standing before the gang members, was a giant of a monster. "What is that thing" asked the Hispanic girl. "Whatever it is," stated the African-American, "it'll be scrap in a second." Without even thinking, the man charged forward, fist raised and ready to attack. Unfortunately, his attack was in vain, for the beast easily countered with a swift punch in the gut. In one single blow, the thug was down, possibly unconscious. The Hispanic girl attacked next, swinging her knife around madly, with no real precision or aim. The monster didn't even get a scratch, as he quickly grabbed the girl's arm, forced the blade out of her hand, and threw her against a wall, knocking the wind out of her. Spike was the next to attack, swinging his pipe straight towards its skull. Unfortunately, it caught the pipe, quickly forced out of his hand, and he was thrown into a nearby trash bin. The final gang member charged forth, twirling his chain. The beast caught the chain, letting it wrap around his forearm. With the chain no longer a threat, the beast picked up the now trembling gangster, and delivered a solid blow to his face.

He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to say, all he knew at the moment was that he was terrified beyond all reason. Having seen a great beast beat the living daylights out of four criminal youths was by far the most terrifying moment in his life. And the fear only spiked even higher, as the beast turned its attention to him. "Stay back" he commanded to be beast, suddenly breaking into a dead sprint, shouting for his wife to run. Without so much as a word, she ran after him, knowing that if something could scare her husband, it definitely was something that should be feared.

"Human gratitude" Goliath asked, seeing the couple flee like bats out of Hell. "Well," Elisa said, still absorbing the display of power Goliath showed against the gang members. She knew the four youths to be members of the nefarious Purple Dragon gang, but didn't know exactly how Goliath would deal with them. Finally, having absorbed the entire moment, she answered Goliath with a "more or less. You know Goliath" she said, looking up to him admirably, "you may be the best thing that's ever happened to this city." With those words of praise in the air, Goliath smiled, for the first time in so short a time, feeling at home.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, the four hatchlings were resting from their exploration. "Never have I seen so many wonders" said the large aqua colored gargoyle, to which the ivory colored female added a dreamy "I know." The other two gargoyles looked to the female, never having heard her agree towards any of them since, ever. Suddenly, she all but shoved a glossy piece of paper in the green gargoyle's face, showing what looked like a woman dressed in remade Victorian era clothing. "Isn't this the cutest dress you've ever seen" she squealed, quickly taking the paper back and looking at it again, along with the other papers it was attached to. The red beaked male groaned, knowing that giving the female the small stack of papers, or 'magazine' as it's called, would be a bad idea. At first, he just gave it to her to keep her from complaining about their trip. Now, he was about ready to take the magazine and shred it to pieces. Quite a few times that stupid little thing almost caused her and the others to crash into a building.

The beaked gargoyle was drawn out of his musing when the green one grabbed his attention. "Look" he said, pointing to a man that appeared to be gliding on the street. Underneath the man looked like some sort of thin machine, which instantly caught their attention. "I've got to check it out" he said, gliding down to the street. "Wait" shouted the red gargoyle, too late to stop him. As the green gargoyle glided close to the human, he got a closer look at the machine. The machine seemed to ride like a horse, only instead of four strong legs, were two round wheels. The reins of the metal horse were over the front wheel. "What a beautiful device" he mused, staring raptly at the machine. Suddenly, feeling as if someone was following him, the driver turned back to see the gargoyle staring at him. With a shocked gasp, the rider lost control of his vehicle, and was sent tumbling head over heel on the street. Fortunately, no serious harm came to him, for as soon as he stopped tumbling; he quickly picked himself up, and ran.

Seeing the man run away from the gargoyle, the others decided to join their brother. "Wait, come back" the green gargoyle called out. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he didn't. As the man turned the corner and ran far away, the others finally touched down around the green gargoyle and the machine. "Goliath said not to let anybody see us" stated the beaked gargoyle. "I didn't mean for him to see me" his brother said, adding "I just wanted a closer look at his machine." He figured that since the man might not come back for it, he'd have a much closer look at it. "Be careful" the large one said as he sat on it like the human did. Looking over the machine, the green one stated "it looks easy enough." Never was he more wrong, for at that moment, he accidentally started the machine, sending him screaming, literally, down the road. The others quickly ran after him, in a desperate attempt to help. "How do you control this thing" shouted the green one, holding on for dear life. "How should we know, you're the 'expert'" shot back the ivory female. "Jump" shouted the red beaked gargoyle. Taking his advice, the green one jumped off. Fortunately he did so, for if he didn't, he and the machine would have crashed right into an oncoming wall. In a fiery blaze, the machine exploded, sending white hot scraps of metal flying. As the others joined their brother, seeing the fire burn from what was once the machine, they knew that this was one night that was better unknown to Goliath. "Maybe we better not tell Goliath about this" said the red beak gargoyle, replied by a sarcastic "you think" from the ivory female.

The cool night air in Central Park always gives New Yorkers a peaceful feeling. Despite the possibility of a possible attack from desperate people in need of money, many chose the night to visit the park. Of course, being attacked was the last thought on Elisa's mind, as she walked alongside Goliath, showing him one of the many pieces of natural beauty undisturbed by the hectic city. She chuckled to herself, "we're probably the only couple in the park who doesn't have to worry about muggers." Goliath just grunted in a sort of agreement, not really sure what a 'mugger was. Still, even if he knew what it was, his mind was busy. Seeing all that the city had to offer, he realized that although a lot has changed from his time, crime and violence was one thing that apparently never does. "This world is just as savage as the one I remember" he stated bitterly. "You're just judging it the way human's judged you" said Elisa, catching the gargoyle's attention. "Sure, the city shows an ugly face every now and then, but there's a lot more to it" she went on to explain. "There's a whole lot of beauty here, from beautiful performances in theatres, to these beautiful plants and trees that live and thrive in the parks. And despite the violence you saw, there's also happiness. Parents who take their children to the park, dads who play baseball with their sons, and moms who sing to their kids at night" she said, adding a quiet "the way my mom use to."

Goliath paused to think about what he heard from Elisa. It is true that he has seen much violence in the streets, his fight with those four youths being a prime example, but he also noticed much good will and beauty. The park being just one of the many good things he saw in this new world. He had to admit; he was growing attached to the alien world he was living in, picturing his clan surviving and living in it to their best of abilities.

Suddenly, the sound of shuffling bushes caught his attention. Reacting on instinct, he reached for the source of the sound, pulling Travis out of the bushes. "Travis" Elisa gaped, seeing her partner dangling in Goliath's claws. "Hey Elisa, nice to see ya" he said, trying to pry himself from Goliath's grasp. "Um, you mind, putting me down now" he asked the gargoyle, to be dropped onto his rear by said beast. "What the hell are you doing here, I thought you had to help your priest clean the church" asked Elisa. "I did" Travis replied, picking himself up and dusting himself off. "I was able to clean off most of the graffiti from the walls and picked up some of the garbage around it. Father Matthew gave me his blessings to leave, saying that he could finish up. I asked to stay instead, but he insisted that I had helped out more then I needed to. He even said that if I stayed any longer, God would mistake me for a saint. Although, I kind of like the idea of 'Saint Travis', has a nice ring to it."

Goliath gazed between the two humans, seeing how easy they were to communicate with each other. He could tell that there was a tightly knit friendship between the two, and for a moment, he felt, envious. His envy stopped suddenly, as he heard what sounded like a gun fire. He could not tell where the sound came from, but as soon as he heard it, a sharp pain shot through his spine. The two detectives turned to Goliath, seeing six soldiers dressed in some sort of new age military armor emerging from the shrubbery. Two of the soldiers quickly ran behind the two, restraining them tightly. "Who the hell are you freaks" spat Travis, trying to wriggle free from his captor's grasp. "What do you want" Elisa asked, seeing Goliath suddenly seem sluggish, before he collapsed onto the ground. As soon as he fell, another soldier, possibly the leader, stepped in front of the beast, pistol drawn and aimed into his forehead. "Oh, you'll know" he said coldly, pointing the barrel of the gun into Goliath's brow, adding an even colder "soon enough." 

_**To Be Continued…**_


	11. Awakening Part 4 Act 1

Goliath was baffled. He should have been prepared for such a thing. He should have expected such a thing to happen. And yet, he didn't. His pride as a warrior was deeply damaged. Even now, as the soldier pointed his weapon into his forehead, waiting to finish him, Goliath felt his pride fall. "Once you're out of the way" the soldier said, pulling back on a small lever at the back of the weapon, "we'll hunt down and get rid of those other freaks like you." "No" Goliath growled, trying in vain to make his body move again. "I won't let you" he shouted, his form still paralyzed. The soldier laughed, "and what makes you think you'll stop us" he asked jokingly.

The mercenary's attack was suddenly halted, as two of his partners were thrown into the back of him. Picking himself up, the mercenary saw the two humans who accompanied the monster run towards him. Neither one of the two turned away when he started shooting at them. His warning shots went ignored, as they tackled the remaining soldiers holding the paralyzed Goliath to the ground. With the soldiers off of him, Goliath felt a little of his strength returning, enough to fight off the soldiers for a little while. As one of them tried to tackle him to the ground, Goliath easily kicked him away, while swiping the other one off with his wing. Even as one of them grabbed his arm to drag him down, the soldier was easily picked up and tossed aside.

One of the soldiers began to shoot at the three strange comrades, trying to at least knock one of them down. Goliath had to think quickly, and get Elisa and Travis out of harm's way. Picking Elisa up in the crook of his arms, and draping Travis over his shoulders, Goliath ran for the trees, hoping the cover would give them time for a plan of attack.

The soldier pulled out her gun, tailing the fleeing monster. As she ran, she fired off a few shots, missing it by only a few feet. When the monster started gliding into a nearby cluster of trees, she began firing blindly, hoping at least one bullet will hit its mark. "Hold you fire" shouted her commanding officer. The soldier obeyed her older, holstering the gun, but staring intently into the cluster the monster disappeared into. "Don't worry" he said, pulling out what looked to be a small silver dart. As he gazed at the dart, and the tree line it flew into, a cruel smile spread across his face, as he snickered out "they won't get far."

Meanwhile, back in the city, the four hatchlings continued their own adventure. Gliding above the streets, this time far enough away from human eyes, the four gargoyles just enjoyed the night air. Or, they would have, if the large aqua gargoyle wasn't eating so loudly. Every chomp he made of the new food he was carrying in his arms seemed to grate on their nerves, the two web winged gargoyles especially, as crumbs flew into their faces. Looking over at his brother, the red beaked gargoyle tried to tell his brother to stop, only to see his face covered in some sort of red and yellowish substance. "These are great" said the large gargoyle with his mouth full of food. "You should really try some." "We would have" stated the beaked one, adding a snide "if you haven't eaten the entire cart full."

The four quietly glided onto the rooftop of a nearby building, deciding that for their safety, considering the murderous look the ivory colored female was giving the large male, they landed to take a break. As they began to touch down, the troop separated to go about their business. The red beaked male watched the streets below, the large male continued to eat, and the female opened another magazine she found, this one showing pictures of modern men's clothing. None of them noticed the green gargoyle fumble on his landing, crashing head on into the ivory female. They only noticed, after they heard the crash. Wincing at the sight, the two helped their brother up as the female screamed again and again 'get him off of me'. "Man, this sure is a big city" stated the green skinned gargoyle, adding "my wings are tired." "Mine too" agreed the beaked gargoyle, massaging the junction where his wings connected to his shoulder. "Well, we might as well get used to it" stated the female as he opened her magazine again. "It's a long glide back to the castle, and I doubt you three geniuses know of another way we could get their before dawn." Looking down at the streets, the red skinned gargoyle saw a man apparently chant a spell into the air. It appeared to be a summoning spell, for as soon as he finished it, one of the yellow horseless chariots appeared before him. Seeing the male's face, the female asked "and what are you smiling about?" Turning to the others, he simply stated "I've got an idea."

"This is very bad" whispered the green gargoyle. "We shouldn't be down here" he added, adding as well a "someone might see us." "Too little too late for you" shot the female, hiding with the three others. Of course, she agreed with the male that this was a bad idea, but would never vocalize it. Going down onto the ground, and using the summoning spell the human used sounded absolutely crazy to her. But, since they couldn't find another way to reach the castle before dawn without being spotted, they decided to go with their impromptu leader's plan. So, the four of them waited, waiting for one of the yellow chariots to draw near. After a short while, one did come near, and he made his move. Emerging from his hiding place, the gargoyle chanted the spell he heard the man from before called out: "Yo, taxi!"

He didn't know what he was looking at, he didn't know why it called to him, and he didn't even know what he was thinking. All the taxi driver knew was that there was a monster in the middle of the street, and it was hailing him. Well, it appeared that there was no way he was chauffeuring a monster. As soon as he saw it, the driver slammed on the breaks, quickly turned the cab around, and sped off in the opposite direction.

As the chariot drove away, the three other gargoyles emerged from their hiding spot. Feeling dejected, the large one simply said "looks like we walk."

At last, after losing the soldiers after them, Goliath and the humans with him could rest. They decided to hide under a nearby bridge, seeing as they were too open out in the rest of the woods, and Goliath was far too weak to argue against. "Elisa," Travis asked jokingly, "what did you do this time?" "She did nothing" stated Goliath, a bit insulted. "Hey hey, take it easy big guy, it was a joke" she reassured, not in the mood for the two to start fighting. Goliath only growled in a sort of agreement, much too tired to argue. "What is wrong with me" he groaned, suddenly feeling a sharp pain on his neck. As the pain passed, Travis held up what looked like to be a small sliver dart. Looking over the dart for a minute, Travis mumbled out "tranquilizer." "What?" Goliath asked. "A tranquilizer" Travis repeated, holding up the dart in front of Goliath's face. "Somebody shot you with that, and it pumped you full of something" Elisa added. Looking Goliath over, Elisa noticed a small blinking device under Goliath's wing. Pulling it off, she examined it closely. "I hate bugs" she groaned, handing the device to Travis. "Bug?" "It's a slang term for a small tracking beacon. Apparently, somebody slipped this onto you without you even knowing." "Some form of spell that led them to us?" asked Goliath. "Well, that's one way of putting it" said Travis. As Travis observed the bug in his palm, he realized something. "They already knew where you were, and unless we get rid of this thing now, they'll find us quickly." "Then we must destroy it" stated Goliath, trying and failing to stand. "No, we can't" Travis said. "He's right Goliath," Elisa added, "If we destroy the beacon now, those soldiers will know we're onto them, and they won't hesitate to kill us."

Suddenly, Travis saw something on the back of the beacon. "Hey Elisa" he called. As Elisa approached her partner, he held the bug out to her, saying "take a look at this." On the back of the beacon, appeared to be some sort of runic symbol. The symbol was composed of an X with a circle around it. However, the circle was not complete, as a quarter of it was missing from the right side of the X. "X, C" Elisa mused. "X.C.?" Travis repeated. "That's what it looks like" said Elisa, deep in thought. At that moment, the two detectives had the same thought: 'why does that sound so familiar?'

"What do you see" Goliath asked, unable to overhear the mumbling voices of the two humans. "We think we found a manufacturer's logo" said Elisa, showing Goliath the 'X.C.' they found. At the moment, Goliath did not really care about the symbol, as one question kept burning into his mind. "But how did this, beacon, get on me?" "That, I'd like to know myself" Elisa stated. "But right now, we have to get rid of it." "I'll take care of that" Travis said, taking the beacon out of Elisa's hand. Not too far away, a stray dog was scrounging around in a toppled over garbage can. Slowly, and cautiously, Travis approached the dog. Letting out a small whistle to get its attention, Travis approached more cautiously. Feeling threatened, the dog growled, hair raised on end and ears drawn back. "It's okay boy, nobody's going to hurt you" Travis whispered, pulling out a small bar. Unwrapping the bar, Travis presented it before the dog, staying perfectly still. Slowly, the dog approached, sniffing the offering the human had. When its mind quickly recognized the bar as food, the dog took it, eating the bar greedily. After consuming the bar, the dog's mean demeanor vanished: his tail was wagging as he sat for the human. "Good dog" Travis said, petting the stray. After he slipped the bug under the fur of the dog, Travis unwrapped another bar, and threw it far away, telling the dog to "go get it, boy." Wasting no time, the dog chased after the discarded food, completely unaware of his new artificial hitch-hiker.

"Nice thinking Travis" Elisa said, impressed by his partner's resourcefulness. "Thanks" was all she got as a reply, before he said "now let's let those idiots chase Spot for a while." "Do you think they will give up on hunting us" Goliath asked. "If we're lucky, my little trick will have bought us some time. But I highly doubt they'll just give up. We've got to keep moving, and we've got to move now." In full agreement, Elisa helped pick Goliath up to his feet, Travis not too far behind.

Back at the castle, things have definitely different. Hudson, once terrified to return to the room where he ran into the 'devil box', was now laughing heartily at the images and sounds it was presenting. After being reassured that there was no harm to be had from the box, or 'television' as Owen called it, the elderly gargoyle found it quite entertaining. At the moment, he was watching a comical routine. Indeed, there were many wondrous things to be said about this television, as it presented him with a wide array of entertainment. From childish laughs brought to life through 'cartoons', to views of the natural world outside of New York, to music the likes of which he has never heard of. Even the 'commercials' seemed entertaining, as the gargoyle beast growled at a barking dog in the box. Hudson couldn't help but chuckle at the beast's gullibility. As he turned his gaze around back to the television, his peripheral vision saw the night sky begin to brighten. Dawn as approaching and he needed to meet back with the other. So, turning the television off and rising up from his plush throne, he addressed the beast. "Come boy" he said, catching the beast's attention. "They should be getting back by now." After a quick stretch, and scratch behind his fin-like ears, the beast followed the elder gargoyle back to the parliaments where the others were bound to meet.

The four young gargoyles gently drifted down towards the awaiting elder gargoyle and beast. Apparently, the elder stood there waiting for quite a while. As each of them touched down, the elder finally spoke to them. "It's about time ye lot came home" he said, in the same tone a grandfather would say to his grandchildren. Of course, the four didn't take notice; too busy explaining everything they saw. Each one spoke quickly, sometimes overlapping what another was saying. "This city is amazing!" "You should have seen it all!" "They have these giant towers that touch the stars!" "Underground tubes that spread everywhere!" "Lights so bright they turn night into day!" "Massive ships!" "Clothing the likes I've never seen before!" "Chariots without horses that come at the human's call!" "All kinds of food!" The elder was at least pleased that the youths were enjoying their new home, but something troubled him. Looking over the four younglings, he noticed that something important, or rather, some_one_ important was missing. "Has any of ye seen Goliath?" he asked. The four looked at each other in confusion, clearly showing that they had no idea. "We thought he'd be back by now, it's almost dawn" said the female, to which Hudson replied "aye, and that's what worries me."

Sluggishly, Goliath and his human aids tried to tread back to the Eyrie Tower. Goliath felt too weak, the 'tranquilizer' shot into him by those soldiers were taking a hard effect on him. Finally, it was too much for him. Goliath collapsed onto soft grass, too tired to continue. And with dawn upon them, there was no possible way they could reach the tower, or a safe hiding spot. "It's too late" he said, "I'll never make it back, before sunrise." "Before sunrise" Elisa asked, looking over her shoulder. True to his word, the sun was beginning to rise into the New York skyline. "Must sleep" Goliath mumbled, "helpless during the day, no defense." "Goliath, you're starting to scare me" Travis said, cautiously approaching the fatigued gargoyle. "What do you mean 'helpless', what happens at sunrise?" "You'll see" was all Goliath said, as he kneeled down facing the sun.

Suddenly, in the peripheral vision, Elisa and Travis saw the outlines of the mercenaries that were hunting them down. They knew that if they stayed where they were any longer, they would be spotted and killed. "Goliath, we've got to move" she said, gasping at the sight before her. Travis as well gasped, unsure of what exactly he saw. As the sun slowly rose, bathing the city in its light, Goliath's flesh turned into solid stone. When it was finished, what once was a great and mighty warrior was now just a statue. Too stunned for words, the two now knew that if they didn't do something fast, not only will they be killed, but their new ally would be absolutely obliterated.


	12. Awakening Part 4 Act 2

It was truly something neither of the two would have expected. The night started out fair enough: Elisa taking Goliath on a tour of the city while Travis helped out around the community. Suddenly, as the two parties reacquaint in Central Park, they were attacked by a group of mercenaries. For the rest of the night, the three tried to avoid them as best they can. Now, as the sun rose, such a thing was impossible, as Goliath sat before the two humans, unmoving in his now stone form. "Now what?" asked Travis, seeming a little panicked. "We'll have to draw them away from Goliath" said Elisa, looking over to the approaching soldiers. "And then?" he asked, to which she replied "I don't know." "So," Travis stated, "in a nut shell, we wing it." Elisa smiled, "I couldn't have said it better myself."

They approached with caution, guns raised and ready. They didn't know what this creature was capable of, so they expected anything. As the morning sun gleamed off their visors, they methodically scanned their surroundings, ready to attack. "Hey, over here!" They all turned quickly, catching the sights of the two humans from before. Suddenly, they broke into a sprint. "There they go, follow them" commanded their leader. "But what about the monster?" asked the female operative. "We'll find him with the bug later," he stated, "but right now, get them!" Wasting no time, the chase began.

In Travis' hindsight, this was not a really good idea. Allowing seven heavily armed, highly trained mercenaries to chase after them was actually a very stupid idea. Still, it was Elisa's idea to lead them away from Goliath, and he'd be damned if he didn't help his friend. And so they ran, ignoring every low tree branch and emerged root that threatened to trip them. Looking back, the soldiers were in hot pursuit, and apparently gaining on them. They had to think fast to lose them.

Fortunately, a local picnic area appeared before them. Elisa and Travis knew this picnic spot well, so they had the advantage. However, they knew it was what you do with your advantage that could turn the tides. Of course, they really didn't have any plans to use their advantage for anything else then a temporary hiding place. Splitting up, the two detectives ducked under separate picnic tables, watching, and waiting. The soldiers arrived soon after, scanning for the two. They knew they couldn't have gone too far, and also knew that they couldn't run forever. Giving a few signals, they split up: three separate teams of two searching for their current targets.

A suffocating hush fell over the park, as the six mercenaries methodically searched under every table and chair they passed. The only sounds heard were the clomping of their shoes against the ground, Travis' panting breath, and Elisa's heartbeat. The two would peek up from their hiding spots every once in a while, occasionally seeing a soldier drawing closer. When one did, they hurriedly, but quietly, ran for a new hiding spot. Elisa and Travis did not know how long this lethal game of cat and mouse went on for, but they knew that they needed to do something, and fast. As one soldier each approached their current hiding spot, the two mentally agreed that it was time to act. With Elisa giving a swift kick to one soldier's ankles, while Travis punched another in the kidneys, two of their pursuers fell with a yell and a crash. It may not have been stealthy, but it was effective, forcing the two soldiers to drop their guns. When the other soldiers heard the crash, they all turned to see Travis and Elisa pick up a discarded gun, and quickly sprint away.

"Open fire" commanded the leader, and bullets flew towards the pair. A few stray bullets scraped their bodies, but fortunately, neither of the pair too any serious damage. And even if they did, the adrenaline of their chase would numb them to it. Said adrenaline also heightened their senses, giving Travis better aim as he fired a shot into one soldier's shoulder. With three soldiers down, they figured they at least had a fighting chance, especially when they barely missed being shot in the head by the female soldier. "Head for the boat house" Elisa said, pointing to a small white house by a small lake. Needing no more incentive, Travis broke into a full sprint, reaching the interior of the boat house just as Elisa did. The two quickly slammed the door shut just a bullets were being fired. A barrier finally around them, but only temporarily, the two tried to steady themselves. "Now, what" Travis panted, trying to catch his lost breath. "We've only got two options: fight, or run. So far, I'm sick of running, so I vote fight." "Hey," Travis said, "you've got no complaints from me." Checking their 'borrowed' arms, they soon realized that fighting might not be the best option. "Damn" Elisa mumbled, discarding the empty ammunition clip. "Got any more bullets left Travis" she asked. Unfortunately, it appeared Travis didn't have any left either, as he quickly threw the entire gun away. "Yeah, didn't think so" she half-joked.

A sudden hail of gunfire poured in through their barricade, puncturing many items in the shed. One of these items happened to be a whole pile of gasoline cans, each of them still full. One more bullet and the whole house would blow up. Wasting no time, they ran, or jumped as it were, into the lake, just as one more bullet grazed off a propeller, the sparks igniting the fuel. The house exploded in a most spectacular fashion, a large ball of flame shooting skyward.

"We got them" said the female mercenary, grinning widely. "We don't know for sure" said the commander, staring intently at the blaze. "Are you crazy, nobody could have survived that" the other mercenary said, receiving a harsh look from the commander. "But we still don't know" he repeated, pointing to the burning remains. "You two investigate the area. Bring back any evidence that those two are actually dead, and then we'll celebrate." The two mercenaries moved into the remains, looking around for any evidence of their target's demise. After a few minutes, both turned to their commander. "There's nothing here" shouted the female mercenary, to which the other male mercenary added "I can't find anything." "Maybe their remains fell into the water, check all the docks" he commanded, leaving to investigate a few of the docks.

Travis and Elisa emerged from the water, both of them coughing out any water that slipped into their lungs. Taking a sudden dive into the lake just as the boat house exploded didn't seem smart at the moment, but it proved to be a lifesaver. Their salvation didn't last long though, as two of the mercenaries began walking over the pier they were hiding under. Looking at the reflection in the water, they saw that the female mercenary, and one of the male ones, were heading their way. As they drew closer, the seed of an idea started to sprout in Travis' mind. Placing a finger to his lips, silently telling Elisa to remain quiet, Travis waited for them to come. As soon as they stood directly over where they were hiding, Travis began to quietly count. '1.' The soldiers turned towards the lake. '2.' They looked closely at the reflections, unsure if they're actually seeing what they're seeing. '3!' Elisa and Travis sprang up from the water, grabbing one of the ankles of their chasers, and dragged them into the lake.

Hearing a loud splash, the leader turned towards the lake, just in time to see the two detectives run for the woods. "You don't know it" he warned the two detectives, "but you're making this a lot harder than it has to be." Quickly giving chase, he followed the two into the woods, sticking to the path they made. When the trail split, he paused, looking around his surroundings. All he saw was a sheer rock wall, a river, an open space with only a few sparse plants to give cover, and no way out besides the way he came. In a word, it was a dead end; he had them now. "I'll be frank with you two" he said aloud, "you're pretty good. You and that freak job took out my entire platoon, and I admire that. Not a lot of people can take us out that easily, and I'm impressed by your skills." Seeing a pair of jackets; one red plain jacket and one tan World War II bomber's jacket, he chuckled darkly. "Too bad it has to end now" he said, creeping closer and closer. Taking no more chances, he fired at the two jackets, easily tearing holes in them, and knocking down the two. Seeing them fall, he lowered his gun, casually walking over to inspect his work. As he cleared away the shrubs they were hiding over, he gasped: there were no bodies. The jackets were set up as decoys. "Where are you two" he screamed, suddenly feeling a slight tapping on his shoulder. Turning around, he came face to face with the pair he and his crew were chasing after. "They always fall for the old 'bait and switch' trick" Travis said, before both he and Elisa delivered a swift punch into the mercenary's face, knocking him out cold.

Finally, after hours of being chased and shot at, the two could finally relax. Breathing in a sigh of relief, the two reached for their ruined jackets. "A lot to go through for a piece of lawn sculpture" Elisa said, tugging her jacket on despite its state. Travis however, gingerly folded his jacket, holding it close to him. "My grandpa gave me this jacket on my tenth birthday" he said to himself, quickly turning his gaze towards Elisa. "You owe me a new jacket" he simply stated. "Hey, you owe me one too" she said, pushing a finger through one of the many holes it had. "Don't worry," she said, "I'll just patch yours up and you'll patch up mine. We'll be even." "Okay" Travis said, slowly turning his gaze down towards his ruined jacket.

It didn't take them long for the two to reach Goliath. He was still a statue, so they didn't worry about if any of those soldiers found him. Elisa prompted Travis to get some sleep, since they've been up pretty much all night. Without any complain, he did just so, using the ruined remains of his jacket as a pillow. That left Elisa to keep watch, at least until Travis woke up. While he slept, a local came jogging by. The jogger suddenly stopped, jogging in place as he looked at their spot. "I've ran this path for five years now" he said, "but I've never seen that statue there before." "Yeah" Elisa replied, "this park is just full of surprises." Thinking nothing more of the sudden appearance of the statue, the jogger jogged on.

Elisa and Travis stayed at that spot all day, Elisa falling asleep before she could wake Travis for his turn of watch. The two would have stayed asleep as well, if it wasn't for the sudden sound of stone cracking. As the two suddenly were shot back into the land of the living, they were just in time to see the last rays of the sun in the New York skyline. The stone statue before them erupted, spreading flakes of stone-like skin all over. Goliath rose from his spot, showing no effects of last night on his being. "Goliath, are you alright" Elisa asked, replied with a short "of course." "It looks like the tranquilizer wore of, and quickly too" Travis said. "Our stone sleep gives us rejuvenating capabilities" Goliath stated, receiving an impressed whistle from Travis, and a quick "you've got to teach me how to do that." "The two of you stayed with me, through the entire day?" Goliath asked. "Well, somebody had to make sure those comic book rejects don't come back" Elisa said. "Thank you. It seems possible that you two may have saved my life" said the humbled gargoyle, extending his clawed hand towards the humans. "Hey, no prob" Travis said, taking the gargoyle's hand and shaking it. "Looks like we're even" Elisa said, gingerly placing her hand in Goliath's as Travis let go. "I must return to the castle, the others are most likely worried about me" he said, looking back towards the tower. "Got ya" Travis said, before Elisa added "we understand." "So…later tonight" she tentatively asked. Turning towards the humans, Goliath smiled, and nodded.

The clan stretched their tired muscles, fully awakening from their stone sleep. As each one of them jumped down from their perch, they each looked up at the topmost of their tower, still seeing Goliath's empty perch. "Don't worry lads, he'll be back" Hudson encouraged, adding a witty "we didn' survive a thousand years sleep jus' te lose 'im now." "I hope you're right" the red skinned male said, looking out onto the city, wondering where their leader was. Suddenly, the ivory female squealed. "What is it this time" he asked, looking at the bouncing gargoyle girl beside him. "Over there" she shouted, pointing towards the moon. All the other gargoyles turned to where the female was pointing, their faces shifting from confused to elate. Emerging from far off, growing larger over the moon was a silhouette of their leader, Goliath, quickly approaching the castle. The young ones cheered, relieved that their leader was alright. "We were starting to worry about you" said the red beaked male, followed by the large male asking "what happened?"

"It appears that we have enemies" Goliath said, the monitor flicking off just as he finished. Turning his chair to face Owen, Xanatos said with a slight smile in his voice "I believe we're ready to move on, Owen."

"Given the chaos of what happened last night" the leader said before turning towards the elder, "I wish you would have accompanied us Hudson." "Hudson" asked the female. "Aye, 'tis my name now" the elder said proudly. "And what will you lot be making of it" he asked harshly. "Nothing" the large male replied quickly. "I, I, I like it" the green male stuttered. "It definitely suits you" said the female. "Maybe we should have names of our own" suggested the beaked male, "you know something to help us fit into this new world." "Really, and do you have any idea what they might be" asked their leader. For a moment, the male was in silent thought, until a name came to him. He remembered seeing it labeled as one of the streets of their new home, and he happened to fine it an interesting name. "Brooklyn" he said, confidently boasting "I'm Brooklyn." "Broadway" stated the large male. "Lexington" said the small male, "don't you like it?" The two older gargoyles looked at one another, then back to the young ones. "They're all fine names" Goliath said, before turning his gaze to the female. "But what about you" he asked. For a moment, the female remained quiet, toying with her thin red hair. "Well," she started, seeming suddenly shy. "I do have an idea, but, it just sounds stupid." "Compared to Broadway" Lexington quipped, patting his large friend's stomach, emphasizing the 'broad' part. This got the female to giggle. "Well, there was this one place we flew near last night, and the name instantly interested me. It's supposedly a large garden, maybe larger than any of the gardens we used to see a thousand years ago. It's called the Madison Square Garden, and well, I guess, you can call me Madison." "I think it's a very lovely name" said Goliath, turning when he heard the large gargoyle beast begin to bark. "We might as well give him one as well" he said. Brooklyn eagerly approached the beast. "Don't worry; I got the perfect name for you. From now on, you're 'Bronx'." 'Bronx' simply trotted away, apparently not at all impressed by his new name. "Oh yeah" Madison stated sarcastically, "he likes that one all right." The sound of a clearing throat caught everyone's attention, as Owen emerged from the rising stairway. "Goliath, Mr. Xanatos request an audience with you," he said, gazing at the other gargoyles as he added a cold "alone."

Entering the main hall, Goliath saw Xanatos leaning against the central table, twirling a remote in his hands. "You wished to see me, Xanatos" he asked. "Not really" Xanatos replied, "but a few of my friends did." Goliath suddenly seemed tense, "your friends?" "Yep," he replied, pressing a button on the remote. "Goliath" said Xanatos, "there are some people I'd like you to meet." Behind Goliath, two hidden doors suddenly slid open. Inside the doorways, Goliath could see two different people. "Who…" Goliath started, never being able to finish his question. As the first person emerged from the door, Goliath gasped. "No" Goliath stuttered, "it, it cannot be. You're alive!" "Indeed I am" he said, his voice echoing like the wailing of 1,000 damned souls. "What's the matter Goliath" he said, opening his wings, revealing fire skin, and long brimstone colored hair. "Can't you say hello to your own brother?" "My, brother" stuttered the surprised Goliath, to which his brother nodded. "But I am not alone" he said calmly, extending his hand towards the other doorway. The next person to emerge nearly caused Goliath to collapse where he stood. Grasping the nearby table, he prayed that this was no cruel joke. Standing before him was a beautiful female gargoyle, azure skin glowing, and a long fiery mane of hair over her rigged brow. As she spoke, her icy voice caused a shiver to run up the male's spine. And all she said were three words; "Goliath, my love."


	13. Awakening Part 4 Act 3

It had to be a dream, he kept telling himself. It was too perfect to be anything but. But, there they were, his lost brother and love, standing before him, alive. He could not remember the length of time he dreamed of these two by his side, these three friends reunited after so many years. Now, his dream appeared to be coming true, his lost friends were reunited with him. But, he had to make sure it was real. Cautiously, he approached his mate, arms extended. When he was within reach, he gingerly wrapped her in his arms, his wings wrapping around the two of them. 'It's real' he told himself, feeling her warm flesh against his. "My angel" he said, tears escaping from his eyes. "It's you, it really is you" he said, both to himself and to her. "Oh Goliath," she cooed, stroking his mane, reveling in the silken feel of it. "All of the days I have dreamed of you and this moment." "And all of the nights" added his brother, causing the lovers to break apart. Grasping each other's forearms, a smile stretched across both their faces. Giving a quick "Ahem", Xanatos called the attention of the three gargoyles back to him. "I'm very happy for you Goliath, being reunited with friends." "My brother" said the red gargoyle, "we must thank this human." "Indeed" agreed the female, "we owe are reunion to David Xanatos."

"But how" Goliath asked, still trying to quell the maelstrom of questions rushing through his mind. "You two were shattered by the Vikings, I saw your remains." "Impossible" his brother stated. "Your mate was fearful for your safety, so she convinced me to accompany her in finding you. Unfortunately, we became lost, and were caught into the sun's ray before we could return." "But how did you survive for all those centuries" Goliath asked. "When we finally returned to the castle, the Magus has already turned you to stone" his mate said, gently stroking his cheek. "We begged him to do the same to us, so that we may awaken together." "I saw the two a year ago," said Xanatos, "and I was so impressed with them, I acquired them for my private collection. Then when I woke you up, I figured a trip to the castle would do the same for them." "The trinity is complete brother" the red skinned male said. "We are together again." "Yes" Goliath sighed, "and with you two alive, I can begin to live again."

"Lad! Lass!" Hudson cried out, racing towards the two newly reacquired gargoyles. The younger ones soon joined in, excited chatter as they asked question after question to the old allies. "We'll explain everything in due time" the female said. "Either way, it is wonderful to see you all again" said the red skinned male. Playfully scratching Bronx's ears, his mate turned to Goliath. "Goliath, my love, there is something we must ask of you." "You have but to name it" he replied. "Xanatos has mentioned to use the discs that were stolen from him" she said. "He wishes for us to help him" he said. "Indeed, and I say that we should" she said, "out of gratitude for reuniting us if nothing else." "I second the motion brother" said the red skinned one. "Indeed, we should" said Goliath, "and perhaps in helping him, we can finally be free of the humans who are hunting us. Besides" he said, "with you two by my side, I can do anything."

All the gargoyles gathered around the monitor, taking in every detail being displayed before them. As schematic after schematic was presented before them on the three bases the discs were stored, Goliath ran possible scenarios over and over again in his head, trying to put together a foolproof plan of attack. "I've explained all of the strengths and weaknesses of the three fortresses as well as my ideas on the best plan of attack, now it's up to your speed and strength to get past their defenses." "The three of us will take the air fort" Goliath stated, indicating himself, his brother, and his mate. Pointing towards the young males, he addressed "you three will breach the tower." "Cool" stated Brooklyn, quickly confusing his leader. "What" he asked. "It's a new word we learned last night" said Broadway. Lexington stated "it indicates a positive response." Unsure of how to respond Brooklyn's apparent newfound way of speak, Goliath continued. "Hudson, the underground fortress is yours, but, take Madison with you." "Can Bronx come with us" she asked, which Goliath replied "I don't see why not." "I'm perfectly capable of handling…" Hudson objected, only to be interrupted by his friend. "Take them with you" Goliath asked, "she needs the experience and he needs the exercise." Knowing that it was pointless to argue against their leader, Hudson agreed. "Be careful, all of you" he addressed, "humans are far more dangerous now then in our times." With that, the parties set out, ready for their first true adventure in this alien land. "Good luck" Xanatos said all too cheerfully, a wicked smile spreading across his face as they left.

Sitting on the banisters, the gargoyles steeled themselves for this test. All, except Brooklyn of course, leaping off the banister, shouting "let's go" to his partners. Taking their signal, Broadway and Lexington followed soon after, gliding off towards New York Harbor. Hudson, Madison and Bronx have already left, leaving Goliath alone with his friend and mate. "They are young and ambitious brother" he said, placing a gentle hand on Goliath's shoulder. "Just like we were at that age, but remember, they are also warriors, and they were trained by the best." Looking over to his brother, he nodded proudly, then taking the hand of his mate. "To soar with you two again, it's like a dream." "We have dreamed for far too long, Goliath" his mate said, "it is time for are dreams to become reality." And with that, she leapt from the banister, soaring off towards their mission, Goliath and his brother close behind. "She's really something, your angel" his brother said, to which Goliath only nodded, smiling. As the last of the gargoyles took off, Xanatos watched determination on his face. 'This had better work' was all he thought.

The droning of turbine and jet engines covered all other sounds above the New York skyline. Wide metal wings rose and fell, perfectly synchronized with the jet turbines that kept the mighty mechanical beast aloft. As one engine cut off, the section of the wing fell, only to rise as the engine shot back on. Its glass encased cockpit/laboratory, appearing like a single long eye of a strange and metallic bird, stared unblinking down onto the city. Even the name of this strange and wonderful being, "Columbia", gave it its power. The three gargoyles did not care if the flying fortress was an actual living creature; all they cared about was getting inside, finding the disc that was stolen from Xanatos, and getting out. With full determination, the three gargoyles flew up towards the mighty ship, only to have one of the turbines push them away. They tried again, only to have the wind from the engines push them away again. The draft sent Goliath tumbling head over heel in midair, pushing him many yards away from the ship. Quickly righting himself, he tried again, his mate and brother close behind. They fought hard against the stream pushing them away, until at last they reached a long antenna that hung below the ship. Goliath reached above him, quickly ripping out a large chunk of stainless steel below the ship. With the hole made, the three began to climb inside. Goliath helped his brother and mate inside, observing their surroundings. Pipes and wires twisted and weaved every which way, appearing like veins and muscles of a great beast.

"The disc will most likely be heavily guarded" Goliath stated. His mate scoffed, "if these humans wish to throw away their worthless lives protecting it, it's their concern." "You cannot possibly mean that" Goliath said, "they are still living beings." "I'm sorry" his brother scoffed, "I missed the part where that's our problem." To say that Goliath was surprised by his mate and brother's reaction was an understatement. "Well, come on" his brother said, leading them down a long corridor. Goliath was confused; these were not his brother and mate, not the ones he remembered at least. He knew the two of them could seem cold at times, especially during humans, but to subtly ask for their deaths? That was beyond his capable span of thought for the two. Pushing such thoughts into the back of his mind, he followed close behind.

The trio remained quiet, their heavy footsteps the only noise being made echoed off the metallic halls. Suddenly, there was the sound of a cocking gun, followed by a stuttering "hold it right there." Turning around, the three saw two humans before them. The humans were dressed in bright orange jumpsuits, white helmets, and black boots. Both of them were trembling, unable to keep their guns steady. The demonic looking male only chuckled, shaking his head. "Are these the best these humans can send to try and stop us? Pathetic" he spat. "You wouldn't try shooting those in here" said the female, her eyes beginning to glow bloody red, "you'll damage the airship." "I wouldn't bet my life on that, monster" said one of the men, using both of his arms to try and steady his gun. "This is too dangerous" Goliath mumbled under his breath, and then turned to his brother saying "we must stop her." He turned towards Goliath, giving him a skeptical look. "And spoil the show" he asked coldly, "I don't think so." Like a savage animal, the female lunged at the humans, swiping her claws across the face of one of them, while knocking the other to his back. Recuperating from the attack on his being, the second male raised his gun, already imagining the monster's brains splattered against the metal walls. Goliath acted without thinking, tackling his mate to the ground before the bullet reached. The bullet streamed past where the female was but not a few minutes ago, puncturing a hole in a nearby steam vent. As the steam poured out into the hall, the guard began to turn erratically, trying to find the beast. His heart raced, fear coursing through his entire being. He winced as some of the steam streaked across the three gashes on the side of his face, he could feel the blood sliding down and staining his suit. Suddenly, he felt something pick him up by the collar of his suit. Seeing what picked him up, he fainted in fear, as he saw the face of the devil itself staring back at him.

"The gunfire may have alerted the others," Goliath said, "we must move quickly." As he turned towards the hallway, he saw his mate tear a hole in the wall of the ship. "What are you two doing" he asked. "What does it look like," his brother responded, dangling the human countless miles above the ground. "We just want to make sure these humans don't cause us any more trouble later" his mate responded, a wicked smile stretching across her face as she saw the man hanging limply like a ragdoll. "This is not right" Goliath stated, "to kill in the heat of battle is one thing, but this is just mindless murder." For a moment, the two gargoyles' faces were impossible to read, no apparent emotion on them. "The eons have made you weak" the demonic male stated, tossing the human back inside the ship. "Try and remember which side you are on" his mate said as she trotted over the unconscious man, occasionally stomping on him. Now Goliath knew; something has definitely happened to his mate and brother. He knew they were hiding something, keeping a secret of great importance. In time, he would ask them to reveal everything, but for now, they had a mission to accomplish.

The cool ocean waters ebbed and flowed off the island the research tower of Rapture Industries rested on. In the distance, the tower gave off an aura of power. It was this tower that Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington glided to, dead set on completing their mission. As the trio landed on the roof of the tower, Lexington couldn't hold back his euphoria. "The magic of this century is so, so, so…" "Cool" Brooklyn suggested, which seemed to be exactly the word Lexington, or "Lex" as the others began to call him, was looking for. Brooklyn had to admit, he felt the same way his friend felt, but he decided to act on this excitement later. "We need to find a way in" he said, trying to spot an open window, an air vent, anything that could be used as an entrance. "No problem-o" Broadway replied, easily ripping a stainless steel door right off its hinges. Checking to see if there were any humans inside, fortunately not appearing to be any, Brooklyn, Lex, and Broadway climbed down into what appeared to be a spare storage room. As Brooklyn approached a nearby elevator, he reviewed the information given to him on the disc's location. "Xanatos said the disc would be four floors down from the roof" he said before he pried open the elevator's doors. As they looked inside, all they could see was darkness below. "Huh" Broadway mused, "these elevators look a lot different from the ones in the castle." "How do you think we'll get down there" asked Lex, seeing no car to bring them down. "There isn't a lot of room to glide down, and climbing the walls would give us away" he stated, stumped. "Simple" Brooklyn responded pointing to some suspension coils before them. "We'll just use these ropes here in the middle." The three gargoyles grabbed a single cord, shimmying down to their destination. Brooklyn counted the floors they past until he reached what he thought was the door they should use. "This is easy" Broadway boasted, watching Brooklyn pry the door open. "We just run in, grab the disc, and are back in the castle in time for supper." As the door opened, the sound of multiple items clicking quickly changed his mind. "Maybe a late supper" Broadway corrected himself, seeing at least twenty soldiers pointing their guns in the trio's direction.

_To Be Concluded…_


	14. Awakening Part 5 Act 1

The night was calm, a cool breeze blew over the coast, soft waves ebbed and flowed over the rocks of the island housing the Rapture Industries research tower. Seen from the outside, it would appear to be a normal New York night. However, if you're name was Brooklyn, Broadway, or Lexington, you would be staring down one of twenty semi-automatic machine gun barrels. They thought it would be an easy mission; recover a piece of stolen property. How hard could it be to return something to its rightful owner? Apparently, it was very hard, as more soldiers appeared, changing the number of guns from twenty to nearly forty. But, they were warriors of medieval Scotland, and were trained by fellow warriors since the day they were born. Not to mention that they were gargoyles: human-like monsters that have wings and turn into stone statues during the day. Were they scared as they looked at the near forty guns pointing in their direction ready to unload their entire supply of lead bullets into their body? In a word: yes.

"Uh, sorry. Wrong floor?" Brooklyn joked, before quickly jumping back into the elevator shaft as the soldiers opened fire. The other two were quick to follow his example, jumping to the sides of the elevator and climbing after him. Once Brooklyn reached the floor above the soldiers, he hurriedly pried the doors open. The three slipped into the open doorway just as soldiers began to fire up the shaft after them. They escaped with their lives, but not without complications. Alarms sounded throughout the building, with a voice constantly shouting 'Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert!' "Now what" Lexington asked, hoping desperately that their impromptu leader had some sort of plan. "Simple" Brooklyn stated, albeit doubtfully, "we get in the lab." "How" both Broadway and Lex asked.

All work stopped as the alarms sounded. The best minds in the world that were working at Rapture were filled with anxiety. Nobody has ever tried to break into the tower before, so to say they were shocked was an understatement. They all stood stock still, whatever they were working on going completely ignored, eyes glued to the door to their laboratory. Each one of them had their breath held, the seconds ticking by, feeling like hours. For a moment, nothing happened, only an eerie quiet that was broken by the alarms. Suddenly, a great crashing was heard, and large pieces of plaster scattered across the ground. The power temporarily went out, and darkness fell. In the darkness, the scientist heard the sound of three large bodies fall and land to their level. When the power came on, fear shot through all of them. Standing before them, were three giant monsters: one of them had skin the color of bricks, shocking moonlight colored hair, and a beak. The second was a small creature, green in color, almost reptilian in body structure, had it not been for its bald, human-like face. And the last was a large monster, larger than the other two combine. Its skin was a light shade of blue, with a bald head, wings like the red skinned monster's, and a tail, just like the other two. The main difference about this one, besides its skin color, was its vast stomach, almost comical in compared to the rest of the beast.

Broadway let out a warning growl, letting the scientist know that they were not to be trifled with. From the looks of the humans around him, he and his brothers didn't have much to worry about. Slowly, Brooklyn approached one of the scientists grabbing him as he came into arm's reach. Picking up the scientist by the collar of his lab coat, Brooklyn's eyes began to glow as he growled out one question: "where's the disc?" The scientist trembled, pointing in the direction of one of the many terminals that lined the walls. Being the closest to them, Lex investigated the terminals. As his eyes scanned over the countless switches, buttons, levers, and slots on the machine, his eyes came upon one button in particular. It looked like a regular button, but had a strange symbol made of a full arrow with a small line under it. Lex saw this symbol before; Xanatos pressed a button with this symbol on it back at the castle. After it was pressed, the brick-like object, or tape cassette as it was called, shot out of a slot under the monitor. Pressing it, their objective shot out before them. In plain sight of the gargoyle, was the disc they seek. "Got it" he said proudly, holding the disc above his head.

Their objective complete, Brooklyn dropped the poor whimpering scientist, and moved to the door. As soon as he opened it, he slammed it back shut, a look of worry on his face. He pressed his back against the door, trying to keep the soldiers on the other side from barging in. "Think it's time to go" he stated, the other quickly agreeing. Broadway quickly acted, ripping a terminal out of the wall, and throwing it out a window. As the window shattered, the gargoyles took off into the night sky, soldiers firing at them. Fortunately, none of them sustained any injuries of any sort, and before long, they were long gone. "All right" Lex cheered, "We did it." "Yeah, and we didn't even break a sweat" Broadway added, rubbing his growling stomach, "but I am kind of hungry." "You can eat when we get back to the castle" Brooklyn said, leading his three brothers in arms back to their home.

Deep beneath the streets of New York, in an abandoned collection of subway tunnels, another laboratory of Rapture Industries was hard at work. Looking over their monitors and observing the data that streamed by, they were all oblivious to the effects that took place earlier tonight.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~A~R~G~O~Y~L~E~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"Coronel" a soldier called out, approaching a high ranking soldier standing in the middle of the entire laboratory. After a quick salute to the high ranking officer, he stated "central intelligence reports a breach in station one, sir". "Do we have confirmation on who breached it, soldier" the commander asked. "Well," he began to say, unsure of how to explain it to his commanding officer. "The men sounded pretty hysterical sir, and mentioned something about monsters." "I see" was all the commander said, going over what he heard. So far, it sounded absolutely ridiculous, but still, somebody broke into a heavily secured Rapture Industries research center, actually stole something, and escaped. He decided to take no chances, ordering to double the defenses around the lab.

The darkness seemed to go on forever. The musty smell of the Earth perforated the air. Cold water droplets fell on their brows, sending shivers down her spine. The occasional city rat scurried across her feet, sending her screaming into the elder's arms. In other words, Madison was starting to hate being down in the old subway tunnels. "Hudson, I hate being down here! It's dark, icky, creepy, yucky, and gross! Can't we just, I don't know, just say we couldn't get it and leave it at that? I won't tell we abandoned our mission if you don't." The elder gargoyle dropped the young hatchling unceremoniously, groaning afterwards. "How in the blazin' Hell did I get talked into doing this" he asked himself as he trotted on. As soon as her bottom hit the ground, Madison scooted over to Bronx, feeling a wave of safety beside the mighty gargoyle beast. After another minute of walking, and occasionally trying to get Bronx's attention away from a rat he was chasing, they finally reached the lab, the giant metal door being their only obstacle inside. "Here's a problem" the elder remarked, seeing no other way inside. The metal appeared to be far too thick for all three of them to tear open, and digging around it would take too much time. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself, in the form of one of the security cameras around the door. Looking at the cameras, then looking at each other, both of the gargoyles smiled wickedly, having the same idea.

The commander's mouth fell agape. He couldn't believe what was on the monitor. For a moment, he figured that he was going crazy, or that maybe the stress of his job was getting to him. But no, before his eyes, right there on the monitor, stood two winged humanoid monsters: one a man, apparently elderly, and the other a young girl. Both of them were at the wall, apparently looking for a way to open it. Suddenly, it all made sense: these were the monsters that attacked the tower earlier tonight. He wouldn't take any chances, ordering all soldiers to surround the beast, weapons at the ready in case they attack.

Hudson and Madison continued to scrape blindly at the wall. The pair weren't looking for anything; they just wanted it to look like they were trying to find the way in. Hopefully, their plan would work, and they'd be allowed inside. It had to work, because it was all they could think of as a plan, and neither of them had a plan B. When they heard the sound of something clicking, they knew their plan worked. Quickly, the pair whipped around, staring down at around fifty soldiers, each one with their guns poised to strike. Suddenly, a blinding light was shot into their faces, and the world around them went white. "I don't know what the hell you things are" said one of the soldiers, "but I'll bet neither of you are bullet-proof." "Aye" Hudson said, raising his hand above his head, "that's a wager you'll win." Madison followed suit, and as the light turned off, the metal door behind them began to open.

The pair of gargoyles was lead inside by the soldiers, waiting for a chance to pump the two full of bullets. "You know" Madison said, "We monsters are a lot smarter than you think." The soldiers only chuckled, looking down at the young girl monster. "No, I'm serious. We have resourcefulness, we have strategies, we even have our own special hideout. In fact," she added, a mischievous gleam shimmering in her eyes. "We have one more thing you humans obviously don't." "And what would that be, monster" one of the soldiers asked. By the time they heard Bronx barking at them, it was too late. The mighty beast lunged through most of the men, running them down as if they were bowling pins. "The element of surprise" she added nonchalantly. The pair acted quickly, disarming the soldiers before throwing them into their comrades. A few soldiers fought back, throwing a punch or kick. Unfortunately for them, none of their attacks seemed effective, as they were quickly countered by a kick or punch of their own. In no time at all, each one of the soldiers was unarmed, and unconscious.

As Bronx charged about the facility, scaring away all the researchers and scientist, the Coronel pulled out his hand gun, aiming it at the beast. Unfortunately, he should have kept his eyes on more than just Bronx, for as soon as the gun came out Madison tackled him with enough force to knock the wind out of him. As he fell to the floor, his finger slipped, pulling on the trigger and sending the small bullet flying. The bullet lodged itself inside one of the many terminals in the lab, short circuiting the machine along with causing great damage. As the machine short circuited, smoke began to billow out of the sides of it, escaping through any crevice it could. Sparks of electricity flew through the air as the machine sputtered and spat, catching fire to some of the clothes of some of the scientist. In their panic, none of the scientist watched where they were going, pulling cords and wires out from under their feet, causing even more chaos.

All throughout the chaos of the situation, Hudson went to work on finding their target. He searched high and low throughout the lab, looking for anything that could be the disc. Unfortunately, with all the buttons, knobs, slots, and whatnot about, it was nearly impossible to actually find what he was looking for. He didn't have the patience of his younger charges, or the full intellect of the 20th century that the young seemed to absorb so quickly. To put it bluntly, he was lost. With a frustrated growl, he slammed his fist into the control console. Miraculously, a nearby slant opened up, revealing the disc he was seeking. After a triumphant chuckle, he grabbed the disc, and made his way towards the exit. "Lass, we're done here" he cried out to Madison, receiving a nod of confirmation. Giving a shrill whistle, Bronx's full attention turned towards the gargoyle girl. "Come on boy, we're going home now" she called out, running after Hudson.

Gaining back his breathing, the Coronel rose just in time to see the elder beast grab a nearby disc. A rage boiled in his blood: he worked for nigh twenty years to reach the rank of Coronel, and he would rather die than lose that title to a bunch of monsters. Climbing up a nearby console, the Coronel slammed his fist on a large red button. An alarm sounded, and the sound of metal scraping concrete was heard. The doors to the lab were closing, and they were closing fast. Turning their quick run into a full out sprint, Hudson and Madison ran as fast as their feet could carry them. Seeing Bronx begin to lag behind, Hudson grabbed the large beast and carried him the rest of the way. With only inches to spare for an exit, the two gargoyles jumped through the closing passage, the door barely sealing on their tails. Panting for breath and groaning in pain, Madison remarked snidely "I'm getting too old for this". "Aye, you an' me both, lass" Hudson groaned, rubbing his sore spine.

Suddenly, from the darkness of the tunnel ahead of them, the sound of machine gun fire and whizzing bullets began to sound. All three gargoyles ducked, nearly dodging the deadly hail of lead heading their way. The trio wasted no time, quickly picking themselves up and running to a nearby tunnel. With a quick climb up the ladder and wall, they were in, but with soldiers quickly gaining on their tails. They had no idea where they were going, or what to expect up ahead, but all three gargoyles knew that fighting all those soldiers off was not an option. They were too numerous, and their weapons would make short work of them in such confined spaces. Their escape was bad enough, but as they reached the end of the tunnel, it turned worse.

They were trapped: a cage like barrier blocked their passage. The cage stretched for what appeared to be forever. They could easily tear the cage apart, but the impossibly wide tunnel beyond the cage held no hiding spots. "We'll be sitting ducks here, right enough" Hudson stated. Suddenly, gunfire was heard, and nearly missed them. Quickly the trio departed down the tunnel, stalling their pursuers and thinking of a way to escape. As they ran ahead, they heard what they thought was a sort of horn. This horn, as it turned out, was coming from what looked like a giant metal worm, and it was heading their way. At that moment, an idea came to Madison. She quickly grabbed onto the cage, easily tearing it open. "Lass, what in the name of Heaven are ye doin'!" Hudson asked. "I think I know how to escape those guys, but you have to trust me!" she shot back, tearing away more of the cage.

The soldiers quickly gained ground; they knew the subway tunnels inside and out. There was nowhere for those things to hide. The safety trail was too narrow for them to make any actual escape, and even if they did, they'd run head first into one of the passing subway trams. In a word: they had them. Or so they though. As they ran on, not seeing those monsters for nearly an hour, it became all too apparent that they were gone. For the moment, they had no idea what happened. However, when they came upon the sizeable hole in the safety grate, it all came into place. They tried to escape into the tunnel just as one of the trams was passing bye. After tearing the hole in the safety grate, they then jumped onto the roof of the tram and rode it out into the city. There was no possible way for them to catch up: the monsters had escaped.

As the 11:37 subway to Central Park passed through the Metropolitan tunnel and into the cool night air of New York, three gargoyles clung onto its roof for dear life. After a good distance away from the tunnel, Hudson grabbed hold of Bronx, opened his wings, and glided off into the night sky. Madison followed close behind, spreading her arms wide and catching the drift made by the train. Unfortunately, when they took off, they took off backwards, and had no time to correct themselves so they could steer. In only a few short minutes, the trio ran into the roof of an apartment complex, tumbled down rolling head over heel onto a flat space on the roof, and crashed.

Bronx panted happily, licking Hudson's face merrily. "Ack! Away with ye" Hudson groaned, pushing the gar-beast off of him. After a quick wipe off of gar-beast drool, Hudson looked around, trying to find Madison. "Lass! Where are ye?" A sudden muffled shouting caught his attention, as well as a strange kicking sensation under him. "GET OFF ME!" Madison suddenly shouted, prompting the elder to obey. As he rose, Madison rose as well, stretching herself and groaning. "Why me? Why is it always me?" she groaned, popping a few bones in her back. "Hudson, no offense or anything, but you need to shed a few pounds" she stated to the elder, adding a quiet "and I need to work on my landings" to herself. "Do you have the disk?" she asked. "Aye, I have it" he said, holding the disk in question out, "and I hope this wee thing'll be worth the aches I'll be feeling later." "You and me both, Hudson" Madison stated, still trying to stretch out her pains.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~A~R~G~O~Y~L~E~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

High above the New York skyline, steadily soaring like a great eagle, a metallic creature unlike any other flew. Within this metal behemoth were the countless and tireless men and women of Rapture Corporations: scientist that forged forward into the future of humanity, and the soldiers who protected them. Armed with the latest of weaponry, the soldiers stood vigil, ready to defend their livings and their employers with their lives. Fortunately, they hardly used these weapons, as nobody could ever reach Rapture's main laboratories. However, tonight, they stood tense and ready. Reports of a successful theft from laboratory 1 have reached their ears, so the possible chance of another theft was present.

"Captain!" One of the soldiers approached the captain of the flying lab, anxious and panting for breath. Whatever news the soldier had, it must have been serious, for he looked like he ran a marathon just to reach him. "Reports just came in captain" the soldier stated, not bothering with formalities. "There was a breach in station 2! We've lost two thirds of the data!"

Suddenly, the door fell open. Standing in the passage where the door once stood, were three winged humanoid monsters. "Correction" one of them stated: a demonic appearing monster with skin as red as blood, and hair of onyx. "You've just lost all of it" stated another, this one female with a cool light blue skin tone and fiery red hair. The third one, a burly male with lavender skin and jet black hair slowly approached with a determined glint in his eyes. The soldiers stood before their captain, weapons poised and ready to fire. They however, were quickly disarmed with a swift swipe from the lavender male's tail. The demonic one approached, picking both of the soldiers up, ramming their heads together, and dropping them. "I wouldn't pull that gun out if I were you" he warned the captain.

The female casually, sauntered over to the central terminal, letting a silent hiss escape her lips as a human approached. After a quick once over look at the terminal, she pulled on the switched labeled "eject", and the third and final disk popped out. "Mission accomplished" she said, holding the disk up for Goliath and his brother to see. His brother joined the female, an evil look in his eye. When the two locked eyes, they looked as if they were agreeing on something. They then turned to the terminal, smirking darkly. Before Goliath could register what was happening, the other two gargoyles plunged their clawed hands into the terminal, tore out some wires from within, and shoved them into nearby slots. The sudden sparks of electricity jumped everywhere, overloading more of the terminal, as well as the whole ship. With their jobs done, the two casually walked away, as if nothing happened. "We're done here, best we leave with haste" his brother stated, prying open a nearby panel. In bewilderment of his comrades' sudden violent action, Goliath can only mutter out a silent "what have you done?"

Fire and smoke quickly began to fill the room, escaping through the exit his brother had made. "There's no time to dawdle" his mate said, coughing as the smoke gathered, "we have to get out of here." "Not yet!" Goliath stated, "we can't just leave these humans here to die!" He turned to the humans in the room, seeing as they tried to put out the fires, or run from them. "There's no time" his brother stated, quickly grabbing his arm. "Let's go!" All the while, the flying fort began to tilt and descend. In a last ditch effort, a few of the soldiers tried to reroute the ship to prevent it from crashing into the populated city below. Goliath fought to help the humans, not wanting the blood of innocents on his claws. However, he was overpowered by the other two, quickly dragged through the hole in the wall, and into the night sky. As they glided away, Goliath chanced one last glance at the ship. What he saw froze his heart: the engines of the machine began to explode, one of the wings froze up, and more explosions riddled the outside of the ship. He wanted to desperately go back to the ship, try and rescue some of the trapped humans inside, do something to try and clear his conscious. Alas, it was in vain: if he tried to save the humans inside, he would never be able to escape in time to save himself, and there was no way he could change the course of the ship so few lives would be lost. All he could do, was watch as the ship crashed into the nearby river, and see so many lives drown in the sinking of the behemoth. "What have I done" he asked himself, turning away from the deaths he unwillingly caused. "You'll get over it" his brother said coldly, then adding a bitter "besides, for all we know, this death was too good for them."

Down below, in a cherry red convertible, Detectives Travis Champion and Elisa Maza saw the whole thing. They received a call stating that the Rapture Corporation main laboratories were just attacked by what could best be described as "winged monsters". It was too late to stop the first and second attack, but they were close enough to possibly catch the attackers of the third lab. When they reached the river, and saw the third lab sink, they knew it was too late for them already. As the shock of the third attack began to fade away, another shock hit them, as they saw what, or 'who', attacked the third lab. "Goliath?" was all Elisa could say, as she saw Goliath and another pair of gargoyles glide away from the wreckage. Travis said nothing; he just glared at the three gargoyles, his blood boiling.


End file.
